Neighborly Love
by whoknoez
Summary: Inuyasha, a cop, finds out he has a new neighbor in his neighborhood. When she starts to receive threats, what will he do about the things that start happening to her and about the growing spark between them?
1. We're Neighbors!

**wk: **Okay... "Neighborly Love" is back up in a new version! I'm gonna end up not liking this one either, but I'll try to stick this one out!

**Chapter One  
We're Neighbors!**

Kagome knew from the moment she awoke that it would be a fresh new day with a fresh new start. She made some fresh coffee to go with her fresh day. As she was sipping her coffee, she grinned when her phone started to ring.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Kagome," said the practical voice of her mother. "I already hired the movers, and they're on the way right now. Are you sure you don't need our help? Grandpa can't help, but I'm sure he would be able to cheer us on."

"No, Mama, I'm fine," Kagome said with good cheer. "The movers are more than enough."

"I could at least send Souta—"

"Mama, I'm fine," Kagome reassured her once more. Kagome's mother sighed.

"I called with the intention of trying to get you to change your mind, but that probably won't happen, huh?" Kagome's mother chuckled a bit wryly. "Well, all right then. I love you, and if you don't call at least every weekend once, I'm going to go find you and live with you, understand?"

Kagome gave a laugh. "Yes, Mama. I understand clearly." They exchanged their goodbyes, although Kagome's mother's goodbye was a bit tearful.

She was moving out of her dim little apartment to a cheery little neighborhood filled with old people and youngsters who were in elementary school. It made her heart swell to look at the small, cheerful house, and perhaps she had bought it a bit too quickly, but she had no regrets.

She waited until the movers came, and worked with them. It wasn't too hard, and the only thing they really had to struggle with was the TV, her bed, sofas, and the many boxes of books she had. Her clothes were roughly thrown into garbage bags, which were thrown over broad, sweaty shoulders onto the truck. She picked up the pet carrier, which carried a currently grumpy Buyo. Buyo would be going with her in her own car.

She walked outside, still grinning. She had bought her first house, and it was a wonderful feeling. Her mother and grandfather ad blanched when she had told them, resisting the idea, but they supported her anyway. She lived in an apartment now, to be close to her college. Still, her mother had insisted on visiting, whether it was Kagome doing it or her.

Kagome carefully placed Buyo in the passenger seat next to her and buckled in. She thought her cheeks should be hurting from smiling so much, but she thought her cheeks were numb to it.

Fresh out of college at the tender age of twenty-two and with a job offer to boot, she was a happy little camper. She knew she was lucky to have the job offer, and to even be able to afford the house. She had gone to college on scholarships, only paying for books, and had worked her butt off both in school and out of school, saving every penny that she had received. It paid off well.

Whistling and humming along with her radio, she drove and drove until she arrived at the neighborhood. It wasn't a small neighborhood, but it wasn't big either. Her own house was a two-bedroom house with two bathrooms. It had only one floor, and an attic. It was really all she needed. She was thinking about getting a roommate for the second room.

The movers, who had followed her the whole way there, jumped out of the truck and began bustling about immediately. Kagome ran to get the front door open with her house key—_her _house key!—and kept it open with a shoe to stop it from closing. The men began to do what they were paid to do—move her stuff.

Kagome went to a fast food restaurant, and purchased loads of food that probably had the workers sweating more than they were used to. She bought plenty of cold drinks, and struggled to carry it all back to her car. When she drove back to her house, the movers were nearly done. She brought out the bags, placed them on the trunk of her car, and called, "If you're hungry, you should take a break. I have food and drinks here for everyone!" The workers moved towards the food like vultures on fallen carcasses. Although none of them had hardly spoken a word to her the whole day, the gladly included her in their conversation.

"So, Miss Kagome, what are you doing moving here? The city seemed like a good place to stay," one of the movers said around a mouthful of chicken.

"I was only staying there because it was near my college," Kagome explained. "I much prefer the suburbs or the quiet countryside to the rudeness of cities."

"I'll the city over anything else any day," another mover said derisively, although he meant no offense to Kagome.

"To each his own," Kagome murmured as she watched them eat.

"You bought the food. You should have some," one of the workers stated. Kagome shrugged, grabbed anything she could, and started to eat with them. She laughed with them and sympathized with them, and encouraged them to do whatever it was they wanted to do. After every crumb of food had been eaten, they reluctantly returned to their job. Afterwards, they left, and Kagome was left with a semi-empty, dusty, wonderfully new home. She went to all her windows, opened them to let the fresh air inside. The wonderful, breathable, clean fresh air. It was unhindered by car fumes or cigarette smoke.

She then set her mind to unpacking. It was an easier thing said than done. To her limitless affection, she saw that the movers had moved in the bed so that it was against the wall and perhaps not exactly where she wanted it, but comfortable. They had already set the mattress on top of it and everything.

Kagome regretted throwing every item of clothing into garbage bags, because now she had to refold everything and resort it all. She vacuumed all the rooms, because the previous owners of the house hadn't been very clean.

She then put a sheet over the bed, placed her blankets and pillow over it, and set up her laptop as her impatient fingers hovered over it. As soon as she could figure out how to connect it, she was using the internet to e-mail her friends how she had successfully moved into her first house. Grinning, she shut off her lap top, and went to work on the electronics of her house.

She connected the TV to the wall, and decided to call the cable service the next day. She plugged in her electronic can opener and her blender into the wall of the kitchen. While she was there, she also unpacked all her dishes and other assortment of items. She then promptly collapsed onto her sofa.

Moving was hard work. When she looked out the window, she saw that the afternoon had turned colors to the orange of sunset. Going around the house and making sure all the doors and windows were locked, she let Buyo loose. Buyo, incensed that he was left in his cage for the majority of the day, immediately shot off to squeeze himself behind a sofa and undoubtedly get himself stuck there.

Kagome set up the litter box in the bathroom, where it would be easy to clean off the tile floor. She set the cat food in the floor of the kitchen, and she went to go sit on her bed this time. She looked at the bathroom wearily. She should really get up and set up all her toiletries, but she thought she only had the energy to get her toothbrush.

She brushed her teeth in her new bathroom, and then she called her mother. "Safely moved in," Kagome reported to her mother the second she picked up her phone.

"How is it, Kagome? I'll have to come down and see it myself one of these days. Is it where you wanted to spend most of your life?"

"Well, not the rest of my life, I don't think," Kagome said with a hint of amusement. "It's not a lifetime commitment to move into a house, Mama."

"You would be surprised how hard it is to tear yourself away from something once you consider it yours," Mrs. Higurashi said wisely.

"Well, I'm going to go to sleep in my _new house _now," Kagome squealed happily.

"All right. I'll tell Grandpa you're doing well. Did you lock all your doors?" Mrs. Higurashi couldn't resist asking.

"Yes, Mama. Double-checked them all, too," Kagome said.

"Okay," Mrs. Higurashi said reluctantly. "Say hello to your neighbors tomorrow, and good luck at your new job."

"Thanks, Mama. I will. Bye." Kagome hung up, and flung herself back onto the bed. She was now moved in. Officially. She would start receiving the mail in her own mailbox, in her own yard, which she would have to mow and tend to.

Smiling to herself, she covered herself with the blanket, ignoring Buyo's piteous meows for attention and help from behind the sofa.

* * *

Kagome awoke to what sounded like a gunshot going off. Stumbling and looking crazily around while trying to push her tangled hair out of her face, she fell off the bed to lie in a crumpled heap on the floor. Groaning, she glanced at the clock. It was four in the morning, and she sighed. She was supposed to wake up at five, but she figured an hour earlier wouldn't matter. She would just take a nap on the job…

She forgot why she had woken up an hour early. Frowning, she went into her bathroom scratching her head and yawning. She was brushing her teeth when she remembered the gunshot. Toothbrush still in her mouth, she rushed out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom, through the living room, and out the front door. It was still dark outside, and she looked wildly around.

She squinted into the darkness, twilight minutes away but not a glimpse of it in the sky. Kagome looked around, and nearly jumped out of her skin when a car door slammed in her neighbor's driveway. She looked, and saw a silver-haired hanyou grumbling to himself as he kicked the side of the car in a disgruntled, bad-tempered manner.

So. This was the neighbor that she had never seen. Toothbrush still in her mouth, Kagome tried to get a better look at him in the darkness. When she had looked at the house, the real estate agent never said anything about bad-tempered neighbors. She decided she wouldn't say anything, and started to creep back into her own house, but it seemed that a light breeze had carried her scent to him. She had impression that his head snapped up, and he glared at her across their driveways.

"What are _you _looking at?" he snarled at her. "Go to sleep, wench." Kagome's hackles rose. Well she had _never _been spoken to like that by a stranger!

"Erruse re?" Kagome said around her toothbrush. She yanked it out, spitting out into her yard, and instantly regretted it. She had spit toothpaste onto her flawless yard! It made her angrier. Having no idea what she herself was saying, she started to rant about how loud and obnoxious he was.

"I thought someone had been _killed _out here, and _you_—"

"Pipe down. You're going to wake the neighbors," he growled loudly.

"Well, _you're _not exactly Mr. Quiet, either!" Kagome said in a fierce whisper. Before he could answer, she went back into her house, slamming the door behind her. The hanyou, likewise, turned and went into his own home, growling as he slammed his own door.

There was a peaceful silence after that brief, loud interlude.

But not in Kagome's bathroom.

Fiercely brushing her teeth until she was sure her gums were bleeding rivers, She was murmuring dark expletives under her breath. If she saw him today, she would—

Okay. Murderous thoughts weren't too good right now. Especially since she was going to start her new job today!

She finished getting ready, choosing a simple black skirt and blouse for her outfit, and she walked out the door. She froze as she saw the man next door. Her breath whooshed out as she saw him bare-chested. He had the hood of his car open, and he was tinkering with something. His upper body was slick with sweat, and he had black streaks all over his hands and his chest. His jeans hugged his hips, and were low enough that she could tell that he was very lean.

This sudden lust for her neighbor floored her. She tore her gaze away quickly when he looked up. She practically ran to her car, but he was suddenly _there_, walking up behind her as she struggled to get her door open. He looked at her compact sports car with a bit of amusement before turning to her.

"I would offer my hand in apology for earlier this morning, but…" he gestured at his black hand and shrugged. She nodded mutely. What was _wrong _with her, she thought wildly. It wasn't like he was threatening her with a gun. So why was her heart beating so fast and her mouth so dry? She glanced at his smooth chest, the muscles rippling underneath.

Oh yeah. That was why.

She decided to combat her sudden attraction to her neighbor by being mean to him.

"Look, Mr. Whatever—"

"The name's Inuyasha," he drawled.

"Yeah, okay. Inuyasha, you were in a bad mood this morning, but that was no excuse to be mean to me. You don't have to take out your bad mood on strangers," Kagome hissed. "You were rude to me, and not exactly what I call neighborly."

"Yeah, that's why I'm trying to apologize to you right now," he said with annoyance.

"I'm just telling you," she said in what she hoped was her most haughty voice. "You were out of line."

She could tell that he was starting to get mad. "Look, I don't even know _why _you were outside at four in the morning with a damn toothbrush in your mouth looking like a mad dog, but—"

"I thought someone had gotten _shot_!" Kagome yelled, stabbing her finger at him. If she actually touched his chest, she was sure her finger would melt with the heat he was giving off.

"If you were _smart_, you would have known that it was just my _car _backfiring!" Inuyasha bit out. He blew out an angry breath. "Look, I just came over to say sorry, not start another argument. So shut up, get in your car, and go to wherever you're going before I do something I regret."

"Gladly," Kagome said with narrowed eyes as she finally managed to get her car door open. She slid in, started the engine, and gripped the wheel tightly as she watched him cross back to his own driveway. _Why _she had just thought he was attractive was beyond her. "Attractive as a damn cockroach," Kagome growled.

By the time she arrived at her new job, her mood had gone down quite a bit. She still brightened when she stepped into the building, however.

She walked in, and was immediately flanked by Mr. Tadahashi. It seemed like he was _waiting _for her. "Oh, hello," Kagome said, blinking. Mr. Tadahashi grinned.

"Yes. Hello. Today's the big day. You'll get to meet the little monsters," he said fondly. He was the principal of the school, and she had met him before, on her job interview.

"Yes. I get to corrupt them as much as I can when they're so young," Kagome said with amusement.

"Do you remember where your classroom was, Miss Higurashi?"

"It's Kagome, and yes, I do remember, thank you," Kagome said. Mr. Tadahashi smiled.

"Then you can call me Hojo."

He walked her to the classroom, and left with a wave. Kagome wondered if this was how all the newcomers were treated. Hospitality was big here, Kagome mused.

She opened the school supply cabinet, immediately taking out the construction paper. Laying the stack on a large table, she busied herself with memorizing names. She had met some of the parents the week before for orientation for their children.

When the first bell rang, she could almost hear the rumble of small feet as they all ran or walked to get to their first class, eager for an education they would be moaning about a couple of years from now.

Kagome watched gleefully as seats began to fill in her class. When the second bell rang, she gave them a few minutes to get adjusted and talk to each other before she stood to get their attention. She smiled kindly as the room went only semi-silent.

"I'm Ms. Higurashi," she said, the whispers diminishing to a hushed silence. "I'll be your teacher. I met some of you last week, but I'm afraid I'm horrible with names, so don't feel bad if I get your name wrong."

Kagome indicated the stack of construction paper on the table. "Grab your favorite color and go back to your seats, please." In an orderly fashion, each child went to get a sheet of construction paper. Pink, purple, and blue were gone very fast.

When each child had the sheet of paper he or she wanted, Kagome passed out scissors and markers.

"Write your name on it, so that we can make name cards. Fold it in half first, so that you can put it on your desk," Kagome said. She walked around while each child laughed and cut out borders for their name cards.

"Ms. Higurashi, can you hold this while I cut the corners?" said a voice. Kagome turned to survey the child that had spoken.

"What's your name?" Kagome asked gently.

"Shippo," he said, his voice tight with concentration, trying to cut the corners in a certain design while Kagome held the construction paper. Kagome saw that he was a fox-demon, and an adorable one, at that.

Kagome found the day going by quickly, and she enjoyed it much more than she ever imagined. She couldn't wait for the next day to start, another fresh beginning and another fresh start. Some might have called her naïve, but she was just hopeful. She could be painfully realistic when she needed to be, but she liked to be optimistic a lot better. Who wanted to spout realistic crap when they had so much to hope for? She only wished her neighbor didn't ruin it.

* * *

Inuyasha was still cursing her as he tinkered with his engine. He hated this car. The state appointed car was a heap of junk, and he would tell them so he could trade it in for an equally unstable piece of shit.

He was supposed to be sleeping right now, catching up on the sleep he had lost last night when they called him. His irregular hours were sometimes an inconvenience, but he had his civil duty to carry out. So who cared if groceries were left in the middle of the store when he got beeped?

She certainly didn't care. That bitch of a neighbor had primly told him off, then sped away in her little toy car. The ironic thing was that he was aroused by her anger. He had cursed himself mentally, but that didn't tell his body anything. He personally liked his old neighbor, one that he didn't see often and was quiet. He was wrinkly, old, and gave away cookies to the neighborhood children. This one was a firecracker, and he could tell that just by looking at her. Firecracker had nice legs, he mused to himself momentarily, and then swore as his skin was pinched in between two devices.

He went inside to rest a bit, leaving the hood of his car open. There were no criminals in this neighborhood, and everyone here knew he was a cop. There was no way that anyone would even _attempt _at picking his or her nose while he was around. Maybe his cockiness would get him into trouble one day. He really didn't give a damn.

He propped his feet onto the little foot stool he had, and turned on the TV with a refreshing Coca-Cola in his hand. He drank, tipping the can so that he could guzzle it down as if it was alcohol. He turned the channels of the TV until an action movie he had seen numerous times before came on. Sighing as he finished his coke, he glared out the door. He did not want to return to fixing that damn car. He should just have a tow truck come and let the state handle it. Still, if it could be fixed with his hands, he couldn't let his male pride receive any hurt knowing he could have fixed it with his own two hands.

He went out, and glared at the car with veiled contempt. He _would _drive his own car around, but it had a high risk of getting totaled. It was the reason why he was given dumps as cars. He had totaled many cars, and he had not even started to count. They had taken his license away, but then the bad guys always got away. They were forced, by the media, to conform to Inuyasha's wishes.

He finished tinkering with the car, and closed the hood of the car with a finality that had him grinning. If it tried to break down on him again tomorrow, he would get into an accident on purpose.

He went inside again, eating lunch. When he was washing his dishes, he involuntarily glanced out the kitchen window when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. It was Ms. Firecracker's car, pulling up into the driveway.

He noticed vaguely he still wasn't wearing a shirt, so he pulled one on quickly as he went out the door. He looked at his hands to see that they were clean. They had to be, if he had to do dishes. Still, there were probably streaks on his face.

When she noticed him, he noticed her scramble to get her things together, probably to bolt as fast as she possibly could.

"Hi," he said loudly, making sure that she would notice him. She froze, turned slowly.

"Hi," she said, her tone frigid and totally without emotion. He found himself fighting a grin, and, to his astonishment, attraction.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you this morning," he blurted. She seemed to unfreeze, tension slowly leaving her muscles, although there was still enough of it left to have her practically vibrating. She waved it off.

"It's fine. I was in a bad mood, too," Kagome said. Inuyasha couldn't help but try to rouse her anger again.

"Aren't you the one that said I shouldn't take out my bad mood on others?" he asked. She immediately became tense again, her glare pinning him.

"Yes, I did, and I'm sorry I did it. I'm sorry you did it, too," she snapped.

"Had a bad day?" he drawled. The wind suddenly shifted, and it brought her scent to him. He breathed deep, finding out things about her that she herself might not know.

Why, the little darling was just as aroused as he was.

Fighting to hide his grin, he moved next to her to lean against her car. Their new, closer proximity, had her breath hitching, something he noticed. He had noticed that wouldn't stop staring at his chest this morning, but that was just hormones. _This_, he thought while he brought a hand to her hair, was attraction.

She pulled her head away, frowning and his hand fell back to his side. He acted as if it hadn't happened.

"What's with the box?" he asked, nodding towards the passenger seat. He saw a flash of tenderness enter her gaze as her attention shifted. It allowed him to study her while she explained that the box was full of arts and crafts items for her students—to which he wisely deduced that she was a teacher—and that she had bought more things so that they could do something with it tomorrow.

When she realized whom she was speaking with, she blinked, and then narrowed her gaze on him. He nearly laughed at her abrupt change.

"So, Mr. Inuyasha—"

"It's just Inuyasha, Firecracker," he drawled.

"Your last name is Firecracker?" she asked, dubious. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope. Just calling you a firecracker."

"Oh." She looked sheepish.

Inuyasha wondered if he should make a move. She _was _attractive. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she far from the worst. She had a healthy look to her, as if she didn't starve herself like other women did. Her bones weren't sticking out, but they were padded with a layer of fat that would have most women moaning and groaning. Her legs were long—goodness, were they _long!_—and she had long hair that he knew he would kill to sink his hands into.

Her grunt of effort brought him out of his lustful thoughts. She was trying to drag the box across the seat so she could lift it from the driver's side. Sighing, he gently pushed her aside, easily picking up the box.

"Where do you need it?" he asked.

"I could have handled it myself," Kagome said with a slight smile.

"Where?" He asked again. Kagome sighed, and walked up her front steps. She opened the door, going inside and holding it open for him so he could walk in with it. He set it on a small table, and stood there while she opened the box.

She removed some items, and Inuyasha watched her look some of them over. He decided then and there that he would _not _pursue an affair with her. An affair with your neighbor? Now that was just iffy. Besides, to him it would be a fling, but to live next to her for more than the relationship lasted would be… awkward.

Kagome looked at him curiously when she saw that he had not moved. What was the man waiting for? A physical boot to the ass so he would leave?

"Do you need anything?" Kagome asked, and an eyebrow rose to indicate her bafflement. Inuyasha grinned as he looked at her.

"Cup of coffee?" He asked with such hopefulness that she nearly agreed. She shook her head.

"I'm afraid I don't have coffee at my place. I just moved in yesterday, and I forgot to buy coffee."

"Absolutely blasphemous," he murmured. "No coffee? However do you live?"

"With the cold punch of caffeine. From a Coke, or whatever else is lying around," Kagome said with a shrug. She gave him an impatient look. "Look… If you're looking for a not-so-polite suggestion that you leave my house, then you're about to get it real soon," she said. Inuyasha laughed, and moved towards the door.

Oh yeah, he thought. She had the hots for him. It made his pride and ego swell, but he reminded himself that he wasn't looking for a relationship with her.

"I'll be seeing you around, Firecracker."

"The name is Kagome! Ka-go-me!" He heard her shout after him as he closed the door. Shoving his hands into his pockets and humming, he crossed he driveways to get to his own house. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

**wk: **I don't know if you'll like this version better or if I just wasted my time, but it's all good. If a majority of the people don't like it, then I'll just have to start again from scratch. Although, I _do _already have chapter two written...

Anyways, tell me your OPINIONS, because I sorely need them.


	2. First Dates

**Disclaimer**: Guess WHAT? Not mine.

**wk**: Okay! Chapter two is READY! For time saving purposes, I will not be doing **_RoR_** until a bit later in the story. However, if there are questions asked or comments that need to be answered, I'll have them at the end. Thanks guys!

**Chapter Two  
First Dates**

Kagome groaned as her alarm went off. She fumbled for the sleep button, found it, and went promptly back to sleep. It was the weekend, and she didn't want to be bothered. Five minutes later, the alarm clock went off again, and she only turned it off. She usually woke up early, but no. Not this time. She was going to sleep in, and it was going to be her rebellion for the week.

She growled as she heard kids shrieking outside and lawn mowers running. Who was up and playing and mowing lawns at—she glanced at the clock and blanched—at noon?

Oh my goodness, Kagome thought wildly to herself. She hurriedly put on clothes, throwing clothes in every which direction, and brushed her teeth and washed her face to try to look like a civil human being. She put on simple jean shorts that were a little frayed on the bottom and a tank top with a white, short-sleeved blouse over it. She was supposed to meet her new friends today! During the week at school, she had made quick friends among the staff, but the quickest group of friends to form had been Kagome, Ayami, Yuka, and Eri.

They were supposed to all go to the mall today, or at least meet there. Kagome wasn't late, but she was close to it. She was always punctual, and the sole fact that she had slept in until noon had her head still reeling.

When she arrived at the mall, she spotted two of her new friends at the water fountain, where they had decided to meet. Eri was late.

"Oh, this is so great? I thought that when I took the job that I would have to work with weird, old bozos that would hit on me every chance they got. Well, unless it was a woman." Yuka said. Kagome laughed.

"I was only thinking about the children, but yes, I do suppose it's very lucky that we all ended up meeting," Kagome said. Ayami grinned.

"Yeah. Who knew that I was going to spill coffee on myself while three of the women teachers lunged to get the napkins and the cup, and ended up butting heads and falling backwards onto the floor?"

"Who knew you could make friends that way?" Kagome added. They nodded, and Ayami waved as she stood.

"Eri!" she called. Eri grinned as she spotted them, and walked over, a smoothie in hand.

"Sorry I'm late," Eri said airily as she sat. Ayami snorted.

"No you're not," Ayami retorted, making Kagome blink. Ayami noticed her look of confusion. "You know," Ayami said, "we're really _very _comfortable with each other. Astonishing, really, if you look at the amount of time we've actually known each other.

"It's what I was just thinking about," Kagome said. She sat back in her chair, regarding each young woman carefully. "We don't really know anything about each other. So let's start talking."

Women were the best at talking, and Kagome and the group found themselves spending hours in the food court, eating and just listening to each other talk about their lives. It was fun, and Kagome found herself laughing a lot.

When they walked out of the mall, they had all agreed to meet again, possibly for a session of just grading things.

Kagome went home humming, and with one hand she punched in the numbers of the shrine. She took off her white blouse as the phone started to ring.

"Hello?" a gruff voice answered.

"Hi, Grandpa!' Kagome exclaimed. "Is Mama there?"

"No. She went out to go grocery shopping. Why? Is something the matter? I _knew _leaving wasn't such a good idea! You should return as soon as—"

"I'm perfectly fine, Grandpa. I was just saying hi, and that I was making new friends. Don't want you guys to worry too much about me," she said with a short laugh. Grandpa only grumbled and talked about disobedient children that were never taught any manners.

"All right. Mind yourself then, and I'll tell your mother that you called to say hello."

"Thanks bunches Grandpa." She blew a kiss over the phone, knowing how it consternated him. "Love ya lots!" She hung up the phone and gave the road her full attention. When she arrived home, the sun had started to set, and the pink tendrils reached across the sky to touch the night purple. She glanced at her neighbor's driveway, and secretly cheered to see that the beat up old car wasn't in the driveway. He was _gone_!

Making the most of his absence, she decided to open some of her windows, since it was going to be a hot, muggy night. She turned on her TV, grinning as channels that hadn't come on before showed up flawlessly. The cable guy had shown up sometime during the week (She had forgotten what day it was) and had fixed up her TV so that she was free from local TV. She raised the volume and moved to the kitchen. She didn't know if she had any edible food, and she looked at the poisonous canned foods with distaste.

Kagome had gone grocery shopping to fill at least half of her refrigerator, but she didn't know what she could actually eat. She decided to make a sandwich. She took out some ham and cheese, cheerfully singing to herself while she made her ham and cheese sandwich. She decided against mayonnaise, and grabbed for the mustard.

She was just about to squirt the mustard on the bread when, suddenly, there was a loud knock on her door. The mustard managed to miss the bread completely and went on the kitchen counter which incensed her. She set the bottle on the counter and went to the front door.

She opened the door, determined not to show her annoyance. Her annoyance came through, however, when she opened the door.

"Well, hello," she said through gritted teeth. She tried to ignore the fact that Inuyasha leaning against the side of the door with one arm was extremely attractive.

"Hi," he said, his own annoyance coming through, although she didn't know why. He was wearing jeans that went low on his hips, with a white shirt thrown over his torso.

There was a long pause in which they just stared at each other. Hesitantly, tentatively, Kagome said, "Yes?"

"You know…" He looked her up and down, and she felt self-conscious in her jean shorts. She felt her face heat. She wasn't used to such blatant, rude interest, but the thing was, she wanted to look him up and down too.

Oh to hell with it. Her own eyes roved up and down his figure to go back to his face and the amber eyes. "Nice," she said. He smiled.

"Not too shabby yourself," Inuyasha drawled. He tried to remind himself that he had decided that she wasn't good for him, and that he wasn't good for her. He tried to remind himself that he couldn't look at her slim thighs like candy. He was failing very, very badly.

"I'm glad you like what you see. Now, can you tell me why you knocked on my door in the first place?" Inuyasha tore his eyes away from those long legs and grinned.

"Well, I just wanted you to turn down your TV. It's pretty loud, and with these ears, I can hear it loud and clear through the walls of my house. Either that, or close your windows."

"I'll do that," Kagome said, about to shut the door. He stopped it with a hand.

"Forget your TV. Have dinner with me," Inuyasha blurted. Well, there went the idea of not dating your neighbor. Shit. This would be bad if she accepted. If they broke it off, an awkward neighbor would be almost as painful as eating a rotten sandwich everyday.

"No," she said so quickly that he instantly felt wounded male pride. Why the hell not? He had forgotten that just a moment ago he had _wanted _her to say no.

She had nearly closed the door on his astonished face before he pushed it open again. "Come on. You just moved in, and I wasn't exactly a gracious neighbor. My treat. I'll take you out."

Kagome hesitated. She was half done making a sandwich, but who wanted to eat a ham and cheese sandwich dinner?

"No funny stuff," she said as she left the door open and went to her bedroom to put the white blouse back on. Inuyasha took the open door as an invitation and came in. Taking off his sandals, he went to turn the loud TV off. He glanced in the kitchen, saw the smeared mustard on the counter, and laughed.

Kagome came out frowning and buttoning her blouse. He watched some of the smooth flesh disappear. "I'm warning you right now," Kagome said mildly as she watched him watching her, "No touching, groping, kissing, staring openly, doing anything mildly inappropriate—"

"How about extremely inappropriate?" Inuyasha asked, his smile growing as he watched her glare at him. She really was beautiful when she was angry. It made her glow with energy.

"_Anything _inappropriate is not allowed," Kagome finished. Inuyasha mock sighed, giving a helpless "Oh-well" shrug. She grabbed her keys, and looked at him. "I hope you weren't hoping to take _your _car, 'cause I've seen _your _car."

Inuyasha laughed freely in delight. He had invited her out to dinner, and she was the one to diss his car!

"No, that's the state's car. Mine's in the garage. You didn't think I would drive that heap around everyday, did you?"

"Well, I thought it fit the personality of the owner," Kagome said sweetly, smiling at him as she gestured for him to move out the door. He grimaced and rubbed the place on his chest over his heart as if it was stabbed from the inside.

They got into Kagome's car, and Inuyasha stated, "You have a nice personality too. If it's compared to a rabid bear's."

"Hm. Yeah. The bear's got nothing on me," Kagome said, starting the engine and smoothly moving out of her driveway.

"I'll agree with that full-heartedly," Inuyasha murmured as she began to speed down the neighborhood road. "You're going over the speed limit by like twenty."

"I don't see a cop around here," Kagome said as she smoothly turned. Inuyasha thought the car was going to tip on two wheels from how sharply she turned. It was amazing how she could turn so smoothly, and yet not tip over and kill them both.

"Actually, there is a cop around here," Inuyasha said tightly, making sure and double-checking that his seat belt was secured. He sighed in relief when she automatically slowed down at the mention of a cop.

"Where? Is he following me?" she asked sharply, checking her rearview mirror.

"Right here, babe," Inuyasha said, his knuckles still white from gripping the seat belt. "Keep your eyes on the road," he said mildly.

"_You're _a cop?" Kagome asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"Nuh-uh," Kagome said. Her mouth was open in astonishment.

"Watch the road."

"You can't give me a ticket if you asked me out," Kagome said as if it was a rule of dating. Inuyasha snorted.

"I can do whatever the hell I want," Inuyasha said, leaning back in his seat.

"No you can't."

"Yes I can."

"Not you can't."

"Yes I can."

"No you—"

"Dammit woman! I said keep your eyes on the road!"

"I am!" Kagome blew out a frustrated breath. "Look. This obviously isn't going to work out. I can turn around right now." Inuyasha thought about it seriously, but he was having too much damn fun to turn around now. But maybe this was the best thing—

She started to turn into a driveway, and before he could think, he reached over and straightened her wheel. "I'm good. The question is, are you?" Inuyasha asked, knowing that he was probably making a mistake. He made sure there was challenge in his eyes, his voice.

"I… I don't think this will work, but if there's still a free meal up for grabs…" She gave a shrug. "Then I'm okay with this one night. Look. None of the weird crap tomorrow, okay? I mean, just because this didn't work out doesn't mean we can't be friends, right? I mean, we're neighbors for—"

"You're rambling."

"I tend to do that when I'm covering up awkward silences."

"There was no awkward silence."

"Okay, so I tend to do that when I don't think I'm making a good decision."

"If _you _want to turn around—"

"I already said I want the free meal, so shut up and let me take you to a place that's expensive."

"Because I'm paying? Man, you're a real bitch." Kagome grinned.

"Like I said before. Rabid bear's got nothing on me."

They ended up at McDonald's.

"Ugh. This is just gross," Inuyasha said in disgust, his nose picking up the scent of oil, grease, and the sweat of the poor fast food workers.

"You said you were going to pay. You going back on your word, pooch?" Kagome asked.

"No. You can just eat by yourself. I'll watch." Kagome looked at him with a mildly amused look.

"We can go somewhere else if you want," Kagome said as she moved towards the front counter. She ordered one of the meals with the Big Mac, large fries, and large drink. Inuyasha moved towards the counter, pulling out his wallet, but was astonished when she paid for it herself.

"The point of me putting my life in danger in your car, and in this god-forbidden rat nest," he said lowly beside her ear so that no one would hear, "was so that I could pay for your dinner, no matter what it was."

"Maybe next time, pooch. I don't like people paying for me," Kagome said, smiling at the cashier.

Inuyasha growled lowly. He didn't like her paying for herself when he had offered. Usually, he would just shrug it off, but it seemed more important somehow that she take his money.

Kagome moved to another part of the counter to wait for her food. Inuyasha didn't know why he felt so violent. He _shouldn't _feel violent. Toward his women, he usually only showed the utmost courtesy. Well, courtesy for _Inuyasha_, anyway, which wasn't very courteous at all. No wonder they left as if they had entered the lion's den whenever they dated him. Well, he was sure that his firecracker would keep him more than occupied for at least a week, if not a month. So he got bored easily.

Still. He didn't like it that she felt as if she had to pay for herself.

They called Kagome's order, and she had it off the counter in a flash. She filled her cup up and grabbed a seat in a booth without waiting for Inuyasha.

Although annoyed, Inuyasha found her spirit enlightening and challenging. He felt as if his blood was boiling. Maybe it was just his demon side. God knew that his demon side was more than a little crazy. Although he had lived his entire life with both his demon side and human side, he had difficulty understanding both and interpreting the impulses still.

Inuyasha sat across from Kagome, and she must have sensed how annoyed he was. "Look, pooch, just because I paid for myself doesn't mean that I'm disrespecting your male pride in any way," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"Stop calling me pooch. It's demeaning," he stated before saying, "You didn't wound my pride. It's just… I don't know. I shouldn't be so bothered that you paid for yourself, but I am," he said truthfully. There was no reason to fib about that.

Kagome rolled her eyes again. "Well then, you can pay for my second Big Mac."

"You're going to eat _another _one of those disgusting abominations?" Inuyasha asked in disgust. She bit down with such relish on the greasy thing that he had to choke down the impulse to gag.

"Of course. You didn't think I would eat just one, did you?"

"Well, I kind of thought so, yes," Inuyasha said, getting up to get her a second burger.

She watched him walk to the front counter with the kind of grace that no cop should possess. That no _man _should possess. Especially one as rough and tough as him. She wondered what let down her guard with him. She had never agreed to a date so easily.

She had been scorned by her ex-boyfriends for being a "prude" and "frigid". Well. If they only knew what kind of thoughts about Inuyasha she was having now, they would not think she as a degree near frigid.

Inuyasha came back, holding a packaged burger. No doubt it held a greasy package of joy.

"Here you go, Slim."

"Happy you got to pay for something?" Kagome didn't wait for an answer. "Wanna fry?"

"No, thanks," Inuyasha said with unconcealed disgust. "Don't you want to go to a nicer restaurant?"

"No. Because then you will find a way to pay for me, and I don't want that." Kagome chewed her burger, smiling at him. "I'm an independent woman, and I don't want you to—"

"That's bullshit, Kagome. You don't want me to pay for your shit because you don't like me," Inuyasha said easily. Kagome shrugged.

"It's not that I don't like you. It's that I don't _know _you. And if I don't know you, then I don't want to spend your money. Well, that's not entirely true. I just don't like people buying things for me. That's why I don't tell anyone when my birthday is."

"You don't even celebrate the day you were _born_?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome shrugged.

"Well, I do, but only with family. So tell me, Mr. Cop. What exactly do you do?"

"I used to do the low-class, menial stuff, like writing speeding tickets and junk, but that was nearly a century ago. Now, I am in apprehending violent criminals."

"As in, you go cuff the boys that have guns?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah… Something like that."

"So… You worked there for almost a century, and you didn't get too far, huh?"

"I didn't _want _to get that far. The further you're promoted, the more desk work you're given. Do I look like the type of guy that would enjoy desk work, or any kind of paper work?" he asked. Kagome regarded him for a moment then shook her head.

"You look like the criminal sort. The ones that you yourself would probably arrest for illegal firearms or something."

"Uh… Thanks… I think…"

"No problem. Okay, your turn." Inuyasha blinked.

"My turn for what?"

"I asked you a question, and now you get to ask me a question."

"Ah. Okay. What do _you _do for a living?"

"I'm a kindergarten teacher," Kagome said. She finished off her first burger, and reached for the second one. Inuyasha gaped at her.

"With the temperament you have, I feel sorry for the children."

"Look who's talking," Kagome retorted, ripping off the wrapper on the burger before sinking her teeth into it.

"How are you so skinny?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome sighed.

"Fast metabolism. And of course, a healthy diet—" she indicated her burger, "—and exercise." She lifted the burger up and down with her elbow on the table, as if it was a weight that she was lifting. She swallowed the food in her mouth, and said, "Okay. That was two questions, so I get to ask you two questions now, too."

"What? I don't know the rules to this game," Inuyasha said, sitting back. Kagome shrugged.

"Too bad. And you _have _to tell the truth."

"I kinda already figured that."

"Good." Kagome finished off her second burger and sat back, gulping down some coke before taking a deep breath. "Why are you interested in me?"

Inuyasha thought about it a moment, and truthfully answered, "I don't know." Kagome rolled her eyes. "It's just how you're so fiery, I think. You're not really like any other females I've met, since most of them have more manners. I like your spirit."

Kagome gave an un-ladylike snort. "Here, pull this one, too," she said, stretching out a slim leg. He caught her calf in his palm, and his fingers lightly grasped her leg. She looked startled, and immediately pulled her leg away from his hand. He let his fingers trail down her skin, and saw her quick quiver of reaction before she suppressed it. She looked scared for a second, but that expression was replaced with a scowl in the space of a second.

"Look, pooch. I told you no funny business," Kagome said.

"I didn't do any funny business," Inuyasha said innocently, spreading his hands as he didn't know what she was talking about. Her gaze narrowed on his face.

"Well, I have one more question, then I have to go back home," Kagome said.

"Got something to do at home?"

"Yeah. Watch my cat lounge around on the arm of a sofa. And I'm also late for an appointment." She finished off her sandwich, licking her fingers which made Inuyasha shift uncomfortably in his seats.

"Yeah? With who?"

"With my bed." Inuyasha felt a completely unexplainable rush of jealousy hit him. He had to repress the urge to demand who she was going to see in her bed other than himself.

Jesus. He had to get a hold of himself. He wasn't allowed in her _house _nonetheless her _bed_.

"With whom in your bed?" he asked casually. Or tried to ask casually. It came out like a choked threat.

"Wow. 'Whom'? Never expected correct English from you, pooch. But anyways, not with _whom_… With my _nap_," Kagome clarified, and he found that his boiling blood cooled down. He nearly huffed and puffed out loud. There was no reason to have such a reaction over this _girl_.

"Stop calling me pooch," he said, distracting himself and her away from the subject. She undoubtedly noticed his jealousy. She wasn't stupid, after all. "I told you, it's demeaning."

"Okay," Kagome said. "I'll call you Tiger." Inuyasha groaned.

"I don't want some kid's name either. Just call me Inuyasha. 'Dog-demon' doesn't sound too shabby, and sounds appropriately intimidating," Inuyasha said. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"No. That's too boring. Tiger's fine."

"If I get killed and shredded by a tiger-demon, you're—"

Kagome waved the comment off. "I'm sure you can take care of yourself." Inuyasha sighed.

"Weren't you supposed to ask me one more question?"

Kagome immediately brightened. Sitting up a little straighter, she pointed a finger at him. He wanted to nip her finger.

"Hm… There's so many questions I would like to ask… Do you have any STD's?" Before he could answer, she cut him off. "No… I don't want to ask that…"

"Jesus, Slim. I'll answer it anyway. I give blood monthly, so I'm checked regularly. I'm healthy," Inuyasha said. Kagome nodded.

"That didn't count as my question though!" she said quickly. He merely nodded with a roll of his eyes. She contemplated her question for a few moments. Then suddenly, it seemed as if surprise struck her. She stared hard at him, then gave a little gasp.

"What?" he snapped, getting tired of feeling like as if he was a bug under a microscope by the way she was staring at him.

"You're _Inuyasha_!" Kagome said with wide eyes. Inuyasha raised a brow at this.

"Yes… I do believe we've gotten over that fact now…"

"You're Inuyasha _Takahashi_! Your father is—" Kagome was cut off by Inuyasha's hand. The loud exclamation caused more than a few heads to turn. Inuyasha gave a muttered curse under his breath, and dragged her out. "My tray!" she protested.

"They can clean it this one time," he snapped. He opened her door, and deposited her in the seat before going to the passenger side. When he was sure no one was even near the car, he turned to her. "How did you know?" he snapped.

"There was a picture of you when you were a child in a book I read for a high school report. I did a report on you, you know. Your family was the most powerful family in Japan, for the simple reason that a long, long time ago, your father was the Lord of the East and West. But the family disappeared," Kagome recited. "It wasn't a picture, exactly, so it could only be speculated as to what you _really _look like. But still, my guess was right, if your reaction was any indication."

Inuyasha nearly slapped himself on the forehead. "Demons won't betray your identity either, even if they can tell by your aura and your smell, because… Why?"

"They could, actually. I just have a spell on me to hide my smell," Inuyasha said with a sigh. And no one really asks, 'Hey, are you the Lord-of-all-youkai's son?'" Inuyasha said ruefully. "Except, apparently, women who eat like pigs and have a temperament of rabid bears."

"It's not my fault you weren't smart enough to hide your identity. All you had to say was 'No, I'm not' to get me off the track."

"It's not like humans pay much attention to demons either."

"Okay, so here's my last question," Kagome said. "Where is your family?"

"They're… somewhere that I'm not telling," Inuyasha said. "You might be my new neighbor, but that doesn't mean I have to trust you. You have to keep my identity a secret by the way. If anyone even had an _idea _that I was here, they could use me to get to my family. My dad would come out of hiding just to save me."

"So why are they in hiding?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha tsked.

"Only one question, remember Slim?" Kagome pouted.

"You can't just answer one more? It's related to my last question." Inuyasha sighed and shrugged.

"Why not? Maybe it'll get you off my back. My father is seen as weak, because he took a human as a wife—my mother—and there are some demons that would kill her for being human, or my father for taking a human. They went into hiding, because although many demons accept it, there are still demons determined enough to actually succeed in trying to kill my parents. And _I'm _in hiding because they could use me to get to my parents. Money is also a huge factor in this. With years of growing interest and just building and building, we have a monetary fortune in the banks," Inuyasha explained. "And being the son of the Inu no taisho and a weak human would make me impure as well."

"There are demons nowadays that take humans as their mates," Kagome said. Inuyasha smiled at her slightly.

"Yeah, but they're not the leaders of their race. And even the demons that take humans as their mates don't get accepted by other demons. By other humans, but not demons. And have you noticed the trend that some murders take? Most of them are demons with human spouses. That's why hanyous like me are so rare."

"Doesn't you being a hanyou make you more noticeable?" Inuyasha forgot that Kagome's question session should have ended long ago.

"Yes, but like I said, I have spells on me to guard my scent. To other demons, I _smell _like a full-demon. And I look like it enough to pass off as one." Kagome leaned back in her seat and started her engine.

"Smart," she mused.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Inuyasha asked quickly. It was amazing how quickly he had trusted her. "I only told you because you found out who I am. It's kind of stupid to say, 'No I'm not' now. So will you keep my secret?"

She looked startled. "Of course I will. Now don't get all tense on me, pooch."

"I'm not. Let's go watch a movie," he said. Kagome thought about it hard. Was it really practical to date the prince of demons? Seemed like asking for trouble right there.

That alone made up her mind. "Yeah, okay. Let's go!" She stepped on the gas, making Inuyasha wonder what he had gotten himself into as his knuckles turned white on his seatbelt again.

"Slow down," he said tightly. She ignored him.

"I'm wondering right now if I made the right decision in going on this date with you."

"Yeah, you and me both. Now slow down or else I _will _give you a ticket."

"I already told you, you can't do that!" she said, but automatically slowed down. "Anyways, as I was saying, I still don't think this is going to work out. So don't feel weird tomorrow, okay? I sincerely think we can have a good friendship going, and you making it awkward won't help me any."

Inuyasha didn't feel anything remotely friendly towards her at the moment. An animalistic craving for some skin on skin action hardly accounted towards being "friendly". "Yeah, okay," he said instead.

"Great."

When they got to the movie theaters, Inuyasha was again instantly incensed when she paid for her own movie ticket. She had practically shoved her money through the small slot before Inuyasha could even take out his money.

"Still don't like me, huh?" he said, a small growl escaping his throat. Kagome shrugged.

"Just because you're who you are doesn't mean I'm going to change my opinion of you."

Inuyasha sighed, paid for his own ticket, and followed her inside. Since she had just eaten, she skipped the concession stand, and to her surprise, he did as well.

"Suicide, eating with all that butter," he whispered to her when they passed a man making his popcorn practically swim in the melted butter. Kagome chuckled, and he was warmed by the sound.

When they got into the theater, they sat right in the middle of the theater. Kagome seemed to enjoy the movie, but he found himself nodding off in the middle of it. Yawning, he gave a bleary look at Kagome who only looked at him mildly in return.

He nodded off again, snapping his head up when he nearly tipped over. Giving up, he lifted the drink holder between Kagome and himself, and put his head on her shoulder. She stiffened, and she considered telling him to back off, but she could hear his breathing even out as soon as his head hit her shoulder.

Inuyasha wasn't fully asleep, because he didn't trust the public enough or even Kagome enough. Just because he was attracted to her didn't mean he trusted her.

Still, she smelled really good.

Without knowing it, he buried his nose into her neck and inhaled. "You smell really good," he said drowsily, and the loud sound of the movie drowned out his words except to Kagome's ears. He felt her shudder underneath him and he unconsciously frowned. Thinking she was cold, he slither his arm around her shoulders, and the other one lower around her waist.

Drawing her to him, it looked as if his whole head was trying to disappear under her hair. He had no idea that the old couple was staring at them disapprovingly, or even that Kagome was blushing with the public show of affection. Even if he didn't know it.

"Look, I know you're awake buddy! I told you no funny stuff!" Her demanding whispers didn't seem to have any effect on him, and neither did her small shoves against his chest. He was so close to her now that she couldn't get enough leverage away from his body to push him away hard like she wanted to. Or she thought she wanted to.

It _was _a little chilly in the theater. She left him, although she remained a bit stiff. She had the most absurd urge to snuggle closer, rub her cheek across his hair and caress his ears with her hand.

"I am _not _attracted to you," she told him firmly, and an inaudible murmur was his reply.

When the movie ended, she had gotten used to his presence. She gently shook him, albeit a bit awkwardly.

Inuyasha awoke quickly, and smiled a bit when he realized where he was and why Kagome was still stiff. Still acting like he was asleep, he moved his face so that his lips were touching her neck, and he began to murmur things, making sure his mouth moved against her skin. He was going to seduce her into his bed if it was the last thing he did.

To his astonishment, she started to squirm and to _giggle _a bit, which made him realize that she was ticklish. _Damn_, he thought. How was he supposed to get her into his bed if she only laughed at his attempts? Sure, it wasn't on purpose, but it was supposed to make her knees weak and her brain melt to mush.

He was also rudely surprised when she took a handful of his hair and yanked hard so that his head came up quickly. "Ow!" he hissed.

"I know you're awake," she said, smiling at him. "Now get off of me so we can go," Kagome said. Scowling, he lifted himself up, retracting his arms from around her. "By the way," she said from behind him as they started to go down the stairs, "I don't appreciate being pawed at."

"You didn't object."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did!"

"No you didn't!"

It continued until they got to the parking lot.

"Yes I did!"

"No you—Aargh!" Inuyasha threw up his hands in the air in frustration. "You're _impossible_! It's like talking to a three year old!"

"Look who's talking," she retorted. Inuyasha looked at her with narrowed eyes, and the look was so intense that she took a step back.

"Did you really feel nothing when I waskissingyour neck?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm ticklish. I felt tickled," she said. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed even further and he advanced on her with a predatory look. She nearly took another step back, but she held her ground. He turned her and pinned her against her own car. Determined, he pulled aside her hair, sweeping it all to one side. He didn't take a moment to admire the shine of her black hair in the moonlight, and brought his face down to her neck again.

She didn't move because a) she was too curious to move and b) she didn't think he would be able to get a reaction out of her.

However, this time, when he moved his mouth against her neck, it wasn't his lips only. He closed his mouth over her neck, suckling. Her gasp had his pride repairing itself again. His tongue moved over the soft flesh, and he forgot that he was trying to prove himself. The taste of her seemed to explode on his mind until all his brain cells were replace by Kagome cells.

Kagome tried to grip the car behind her, but there weren't really any handholds she could support herself with. When she felt as if she would fall when that skillful tongue of his drew patterns on her throat, her hands went up to grip his shoulders. She threw her head back in her first moment of wanton abandon, but the sharp _crack_ as her head hit the roof of the car brought them both back to reality and jumping away from each other.

Inuyasha regarded her wearily. This was not good. If she could make him forget that they were in a public parking lot just from him licking her neck, that was _really _strong sexual chemistry. Not too good when he was thinking about taking her in the backseat of her car. Or on the roof of the car. It didn't really matter to him. It was only sex after all. But he _did _have a problem with giving a free show to innocent bystanders.

She felt the damp spot on her neck, but didn't bring up her hand to wipe it off or rub it. It seemed to be an immature act, and she was going to try to act like she was _sophisticated_. She was worldly. She was _experienced_ and _mature_.

And she was shaking like a pile of bones on a roller coaster. Wordlessly, she watched him get into her car silently as if nothing had happened. How could he be so composed? She was shaken. It was the first time she had let a man so close to her. And it was a first date, no less!

Kagome got into the car without looking at him. She felt as if she looked at him, she would either tear out her eyes in embarrassment, jump his bones, or tear _his _eyes out for doing that to her. All of them seemed to be neither sophisticated nor mature.

Easily, as if it was an everyday occurrence (This was what pissed Kagome off), he said, "Wanna go to my place?"

"Tu casa es mi casa?" she snapped. "No. I don't want to go. Thanks for the offer, though."

Inuyasha gave a rough sort of bark of laughter. "Why not? You just proved that you at least liked me enough to be attracted to me, and frankly, I want to get you out of my system."

"Then do it some other way," Kagome bit out. "Take another girl and take out your frustrations with her," she snapped.

"Why are you mad?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm not mad!" she snapped out again. She was mad because she didn't understand her own reactions, and she didn't want to see him with another woman which made her even madder. Still, _he _didn't have to know that.

"Yeah, I can tell," he said sarcastically. "I was just asking that's all. The offer's up for grabs whenever you want it."

She pulled into their neighborhood, and stopped in front of his house. "Trust me, I won't want it," she said as he exited the car. At her words, he turned and leaned down to look at her through the open doorway. She still didn't look at him.

"Trust _me_," Inuyasha drawled with an underlying heat that made her focus at a faraway point even harder, "you will."

"I doubt it," she yelled when he shut the door. She went into her own driveway, and waited until he went into his own house with a slam of the door before she jumped out of her car and ran up the steps to hurl herself into the safety of her home.

* * *

**wk**: Okay! End of chapter twoooo!

Thanks for the support... again... guys! Hope you'll continue to like it! I like kagome's attitude a lot better in this one, but I might change this chapter around. I'm not sure I like it.

Boy, I sure got really picky.


	3. Jealous Rivalry

**Disclaimer: **The _story _is mine, but the characters are not. Happy days, everyone!

**wk**: Urgh. I've been studying like crazy for the finals coming up. I don't need this STRESS, but you know. While I was studying, I couldn't help but type down my ideas for this story, as it's been progressing along very nicely. It's been kind of fast, but kind of slow at the same time... Does that makes sense? (Sweatdrops) Anyways, like always, tell me what you guys think about it!

**Chapter Three  
Jealous Rivalry**

Kagome had been the one to say not to be awkward, but she couldn't help but peek out her window to make sure her corrupted neighbor wasn't outside before she went to go check her mailbox.

The damn neighbor must have been watching her, she though viciously as she saw him walk down his porch steps to greet her.

"Hey Slim," he said, kissing her on the cheek easily. Her _neck _might have been ticklish, but her cheek was not. She felt her face heat, and horrified at the knowledge she was blushing, she gave a noncommittal grunt before turning to flee into her own home. He watched her go with amusement, going to his own mailbox. It was Sunday, but what with yesterday being such an eventful day, they had both forgotten to check their mail yesterday.

Contrary to what she believed, he hadn't been looking for her. He grinned. He'd been _sniffing _for her. And _listening _for her. It was an easy thing to do when you had the nose and ears he did.

She didn't understand that she had challenged him last night. When he had blatantly told her that he had wanted her out of his system, he had meant it. Still, when she had told him to take it with another woman, he didn't even think about agreeing. Maybe he would try it tonight. He ignored the feeling of distaste that roared in him at the thought of another woman other than Kagome. And then she had practically thrown his offer back into his face, which made his blood rise to meet the challenge in her eyes. Now he was wondering how to get her comfortable with him again. It was going to be a hard task considering _he _didn't feel "comfortable" around her either.

Going back into his own home, he tried to think of plans to get Kagome to at least talk to him again. He heard the lawn mower of his other neighbor, and tried to block out the droning noise. His other neighbor was a man with a wife and three kids. Inuyasha made sure to stay away from him, because he wasn't exactly for demon-rights. His two little girls and an even younger boy all seemed to be afraid of Inuyasha as well. The wife was cheerful and nice enough, but she kept away from Inuyasha also. The man might as well have a rifle with him whenever Inuyasha left the house. He always regarded the dog-demon with barely controlled disgust and dislike.

_I protect your damn asses, _Inuyasha thought with a sneer. Well, whatever. He just didn't have to expect Inuyasha to do anything if he _did _get into trouble. Speaking of, he could hear his beeper going off. Sighing, he moved toward his pants in the bedroom. The shrill sound always hurt his ears, and he pressed them against the skull of his head before shutting the beeper off.

He freshened up, putting on his slacks and a button-up shirt before going out. He had a jacket over his shoulder as he kept his hands in his pockets. He whistled as he strolled down to his beat down car, and glanced into his neighbor's yard. The bad neighbor, who was mowing his lawn. Inuyasha didn't bother with hellos as he got into his own car. He was rumbling out of there and he definitely noticed Inuyasha, since he had a disapproving scowl on his face.

Had he _wanted _Inuyasha to say hello? Inuyasha snorted. As if. Leaning back in his seat and hoping it didn't break underneath him, he drove to work. When he arrived at his office, Miroku was sitting in a chair, already waiting for him. "Hello," the ex-monk said pleasantly. As always, Miroku had a weird glove on his right hand. It was most likely to prevent everything from being sucked into oblivion.

Inuyasha was the first person Miroku knew that didn't seem repulsed by the curse in his hand. Miroku, of course, didn't know how he received it. He only knew that it was a demon that cursed every generation in his family, starting with his grandfather. He was raised to be a monk, but he stopped his training to go after the demon that had doomed his family. He didn't want his own children to be inflicted with the curse, and he didn't want to end up like his father: in oblivion, a vacuum of space created by his own hand.

Inuyasha sat across from him, exhaling a long breath. "So what's up?"

"Chief said that we're supposed to go on patrol today," Miroku said. Inuyasha scowled.

"Again? We should be getting detective work, not this patrolling shit. He only wants us on patrol because he thinks I'm going to tear the psychos apart with my claws, or they'll get sucked into your Kazoona—"

"Kazaana, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Well, there _was _that time you attacked one of the criminals."

"He deserved it! Killing women like that… Makes me sick. Bastard had a daughter, too."

"I know. He's just lucky that you came to your senses and only ended up giving him a few bruises. He was terrified of you, though. He admitted to everything once they threatened to bring you in."

Inuyasha swelled with pride. "Well, yeah. I _am _intimidating like that." Miroku rolled his eyes.

They went out the door of Inuyasha's small, cramped office. Miroku sighed when they went outside. "Why don't they give you a new car? That one's disgusting. It couldn't catch a kid in a shopping cart." Inuyasha shrugged.

"If it breaks down on the way, then I'll fix it."

"I think you should have become a mechanic."

"Nah. I would have brained too many people with a socket wrench for their stupidity."

"You say that you don't do that now."

"Well, I don't _maim _anyone."

They bought coffee and rattled away to catch a few speeding punks. "I can't believe you beeped me for this," Inuyasha said, sipping his coffee. "You could have done this by yourself."

"Yeah, but I don't want to use _my _car. It's actually new and shining compared to his heap of dung," Miroku said, affectionately patting the armrest. "Anything new with you?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha grinned and took another sip of his coffee. "Met a girl."

Miroku, who always had lecherous thoughts, gave Inuyasha a look with a raised brow.

"Pretty?" Deciding to pull Miroku's leg, Inuyasha shook his head.

"The most hideous thing you'll ever see. She could make a pile of shit look pretty."

Miroku was shocked into silence for a moment. "Skinny?"

"Fat as the broad side of a barn. She's wider than she is tall."

"Why are you seeing her again?" Miroku choked out, deciding to gulp down his hot coffee in his confusion.

After his coughing subsided, Inuyasha said, "Because she's a great person. She's so _full of life_." He found that this part was true. "Maybe you'll meet her later."

"I hope not," Miroku muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Inuyasha said, although he had fully heard what Miroku had said. He _did _have a dog's ears.

"Er… Nothing," Miroku said, smiling at Inuyasha.

Suddenly, in front of them, they saw a car whiz by. You didn't need a speedometer to know that the punk was speeding. Inuyasha quickly pulled up behind the car, and Inuyasha found himself thinking the car looked familiar. Still, he put on the flashing lights on the dashboard, and saw the car immediately slow. That was when he recognized the car.

He let a laugh burst out of him, and he turned to a startled Miroku. "Looks like you'll be meeting her sooner than I thought," Inuyasha said with a grin. He could have sworn Miroku turned pale.

He pulled over where the car had pulled over, and he could see the silhouette of Kagome's head frantically whipping side to side, probably looking for something.

Inuyasha got out of the car. He walked up to Kagome's car, and made sure his face was hidden above the car.

"License and registration, please," he said, dropping his voice a few octaves lower.

"Yes, hold on," Kagome said frantically. "I'm looking for it right now. I think I might have left my wallet at home." He could hear her searching and shuffling, and he resisted the urge to peek in.

"Please step out of the car ma'am," Inuyasha said. He glanced at his own car, and saw Miroku trying to peer into the car. He grinned at Miroku and gave him a thumbs up sign. He heard Kagome sigh, and she pulled the door handle. He stepped back, allowing her room to step out.

He glanced at Miroku, who was gaping at the figure that stepped out.

"I'm sorry, sir, I—" Kagome stopped when she saw Inuyasha. She closed her eyes in horror. "Please don't tell me _you're _the one that's going to give a ticket."

"I can get Miroku to do it, if you'd rather him give you the ticket."

"Can't you just… You know… let me off?" Kagome looked at him hopefully. Inuyasha grinned.

"What'll I get in return? It has to be something good, ma'am." Kagome flushed with anger.

"I'm not giving you my body you—"

"Well hello," Miroku said, striding up. He gave Inuyasha a dirty look, one that had Inuyasha snorting with laughter.

"Hello," Kagome said politely.

"I'm Inuyasha's partner. Nice to meet you," he said, mustering all the charm he could into his voice. "He's told me so much about you." Again, another dirty look was thrown in Inuyasha's direction.

Kagome shook Miroku's hand, and was slightly surprised when he kissed the back of her hand. Astonished, she didn't do anything, but Inuyasha was suddenly there, taking her hand fro Miroku.

Miroku was surprised as well. Inuyasha was so territorial over this one, and it didn't take a scientist to figure that out. Inuyasha was giving him a warning look as he led Kagome a little bit away from Miroku. Amused, Miroku watched as Inuyasha leaned down to whisper in Kagome's ear.

"I'll be expecting a date in return for this," Inuyasha whispered. Kagome gave him a dirty look, and he leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head away, and his lips landed on her cheek. Grinning, he bit her cheek, making her squeal outrageously. She batted him away, huffing.

"I'll let you off this time, but remember that you need to slow down." Inuyasha got into his own car, and Miroku followed. Kagome drove off at the same speed she was going before, and Inuyasha sighed.

"'Hideous and as fat as the broad side of a barn', eh?" Miroku said. Inuyasha shrugged.

"She's all right," he drawled.

"She seems to not like you," Miroku said with amusement. Inuyasha sat back, relaxing as he drove off in the opposite direction of Kagome.

"Oh, she likes me. She just hasn't realized it yet." Miroku only rolled his eyes at this.

"Of course, ye of high self-esteem," Miroku said. "Where'd you meet her?"

"She's my neighbor," Inuyasha said, and Miroku stared at him.

"Won't that make it a bit awkward if you were to break up with her?"

"Well, I already figured that, and I don't know. She seems to be quite the little charmer."

"Yes, she looked quite ecstatic to be in your presence," Miroku said. Inuyasha grinned.

"The little hedgehog will grow fond of me, and than you'll see. She won't be able to tear herself away from me."

Miroku only rolled his eyes again.

* * *

Kagome's hands were itching to kill him. They were tightening and loosening convulsively on her wheel. The weasel had blackmailed her into another date. In front of his partner, nonetheless. 

Dammit. She was _trying _to _avoid _him at all costs, not get flagged down by him. "It's a small world after all," she sang under her breath.

Her cell phone started ringing, and she picked it up, smoothly going from both hands on the wheel to one hand while turning. "Hello?"

"Well, I _was _calling to say hello, but if you don't want to talk…"

"Kouga!" Kagome exclaimed happily. She leaned back into the seat, filing away thoughts of Inuyasha to the back of her mind.

"How you doing, baby?" Kouga purred out.

"Okay," Kagome said. Before he could ask, "Why only 'Okay'?" she quickly said, "When are you going to visit me, hm? You said you would come and see me as soon as I moved in."

"I know… Which is why I'm coming in today to see you! I hope you have room for me at your place, because I'm going to be staying for a while."

"How long is 'a while'?" Kagome asked.

"A week, maybe longer, depending on my mood," Kouga drawled.

"I'll have a room set up for you as soon as I get home."

"Where are you right now?" Kouga asked.

"I'm going to meet some new friends of mine. The next time we were going to meet was actually tomorrow, but one of them had a crisis. A 'Boyfriend-Broke-Up-With-Me-After-A-Good-Bout-of-Sex' crisis."

"Oh shit. Well, you better get there fast."

"I'm planning on it. I'll see you when I get home, Kouga. The door's open, so you can just go in."

"Still not locking your door, Kagome?"

"Never!"

Kouga laughed, and said his goodbye before he hung up.

Kagome was grinning when she hung up. Kouga had been her first for everything. And she meant _everything_. Still, after their relationship, they had managed to be good friends. He had told her he was still in love with her, several times, but she laughed it off for the joke it was.

She made it to Eri's house, but she was half an hour late, thanks to the muddy directions she had been given.

Eri was on her couch, sniffling with a tissue practically melted onto her face. Ayumi absently gestured Kagome over, patting the seat next to her. Kagome sat, placing he keys on the glass table in between the couches.

"I mean," Eri hiccupped, "after having _really _great sex, he was all like, 'I really don't want to do this now.'" Kagome felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. What kind of man would do that? Cowardly. Saying what he wanted after he got what he wanted. It was all about a man's selfishness.

"Men are just scum, dear," Yuka said, patting Eri's hand. Eri gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry for calling all of you guys, but now you're the only friends I have, ever since I moved here."

"Don't even worry about it," Ayumi said, reaching over to grasp Eri's other hand.

"Yeah, we women need to stick together in our crusade against men," Kagome piped. Eri gave a watery giggle. "Did he tell you why?"

"Yeah. He said that it just wasn't working out." She mocked his low voice, but then burst into more tears as she did so.

"Oh, honey, don't cry for that bastard. He'll get his, I'm sure," Kagome said. Eri sniffled. Kagome got up, moved towards Eri's kitchen. "This calls for chocolate ice cream and cookies. Where's your secret stash?" Kagome asked from the kitchen. Eri gave a strangled giggle.

"Lower left cupboard on the right side."

Kagome opened the door, and gave a small murmur of triumph. This was the stash of Oreos and Ho-Ho's that every sane woman had in case of emergencies such as these.

Now for the ice cream. Kagome rooted in the fridge, pulling out cartons of rocky road ice cream. Wow. Eri was _really _prepared. Precariously balanced with stacks of cartons and bags of cookies, she slowly walked back into the living room. Ayumi leapt up to help her when the cartons started to sway.

Kagome went back into the kitchen to find four spoons.

Eri instantly dug into the ice cream, her tears mixing with the creamy goodness. However, when she shoveled the first spoonful into her mouth, she sighed as if her all her troubles were over. "Now I remember why I got this," she murmured.

They all began to talk about their own experiences, sharing the ice cream and cookies.

"I have a rude neighbor that thinks too highly of himself," Kagome said over a mouthful of Oreos. "In fact, he wrestled me into a second date today. Jerk caught me speeding." At their blank looks, she explained, "He's a cop."

Murmurs of "What a jerk," reached her. Nodding in agreement, she grabbed another cookie.

"Is he cute?" Eri asked slyly. Hearing about others' troubles seemed to have her own mood lifting. Miserly loved company, after all.

"He's absolutely gorgeous, but that doesn't say anything about personality," Kagome said, sniffing haughtily. Then she chuckled. "_And_, I have my ex coming over today. He's going to stay for a week or two, and when Inuyasha finds out, he'll be so _mad_—"

"Inuyasha?" Ayumi asked suddenly. "As in dog-demon?" Kagome nodded. The stereotypes of demons and prejudices against them were strong sometimes.

"He's not dangerous. He would have to be _somewhat _law abiding to be an officer of the law." The subtle tension that had just permeated the air relaxed a bit.

"You better be careful, Kagome. Demons are—"

"Completely prejudiced against. My ex is a full wolf-demon," Kagome said, her eyebrow arching. There was a hushed silence.

"There was a time when a demon saved me from a burglar. He went away before I could say thanks, though," Yuka admitted. "They're not all bad. It's just people think they're bad because some of them are the worst, but there are worse people out there, too."

Kagome gave Yuka a grateful smile. Prejudice against demons was dying down, but that didn't mean that it was completely dead within people. Kagome herself had been criticized and looked down on for having a soft heart towards demons.

"But I _will _be careful, although it might not be in the context you were speaking of, Ayumi," Kagome said. "Besides… the ex that's coming over today is the only one I've ever slept with. Other than him, I've found I couldn't stomach men that pawed at me as if I was a hanging piece of meat. The silly thing is, that's how Inuyasha treats me, but I think he's a spectacular piece of meat as well."

The group chuckled at her dilemma. "I've never felt lust this strong for a man, including Kouga. Kouga was my first because I was curious, and he was persuasive. It was nice, and it felt good, but beyond that, I couldn't see all the hype about it."

"Honey, you obviously slept with the wrong man if you don't think there's anything special to it," Ayumi said with a curl of her lips. Kagome gave a laugh.

"I don't know… Maybe I'm just a romantic, but I don't want to do it with anyone else, until I've fallen in love. I'm not a virgin, and I'm also not _completely _naïve. Innocence, these days, _is _overrated. And besides, men are pigs that can't be satisfied any other way."

Eri raised her spoon up in the air. "I completely agree!"

They all raised their spoons in agreement.

"I think the way you can tell a good man from a sex addict is to refuse to have sex no matter what for at least a month or two," Yuka said. "If he sticks it out, that either means a) he's cheating on you, b) he's desperate for some booty, or c) he really likes you."

"Now there's something we need to think about. Let's call it the Monthly Golden Rule. If he can have no sex for a month, and still stay with you, he might just be worth keeping around," Ayumi said, sticking a spoon into her mouth thoughtfully.

"I love the idea," Kagome said. She crumbled an Oreo onto her spoon, and then spooned up some ice cream before putting it into her mouth. She resisted the urge to purr.

They spoke some more about their men problems and it lasted long into the afternoon. Some of them ended up crying with Eri as they remembered past loves, and Kagome kind of felt cheated. She wanted a past love. Kouga might have been a first sex partner, but he was a far cry from being a first love.

"This has been fun guys," Kagome said, glancing at her watch, "but I gotta run. The ex coming over today and all. He's probably kicked back in my sofa, looking through my personal items." They all laughed, and Ayumi and Yuka agreed that they had to get home as well. Eri, whose face was still puffy from crying, gave them all smiles. They had helped her a lot, and she would be able to get through the night without crying on her pillow.

Kagome got into her car, and looked at the pink sky. It was a beautiful sunset, and she pondered about Inuyasha as she started her car. Would he be able to stand a month without sex? The man seemed to have an insatiable appetite. She snorted. He probably wouldn't be able to stand a week without it, nonetheless four. She would see. If he was just an over-sexed idiot, he wouldn't be worth her time.

When she arrived at her house, she grinned when she saw that Inuyasha wasn't home yet, and she also saw Kouga's motorcycle. She remembered that when they had been in college together (That was how they had met) he had insisted on buying a motorcycle to impress the girls.

"Kouga," she called out as she opened the door. In a flash, he was in front of her, pulling her into a tight hug. "I need to breathe," she said in a strangled voice, but he didn't loosen his hold.

"It's so good to see you, Kag!" Kouga exclaimed, and his smile nearly split his face.

"I'm glad. Now let me go, you goof," Kagome said, trying to shove her hand in between them to get some air. He finally let go of her, but before he did, he couldn't help but sniff her neck for her reassuring scent. What he found was far from reassuring.

"You smell like a dog's bitch," Kouga growled out. Kagome looked up at him, mildly surprised.

"It's probably my new neighbor," she said wryly. Kouga started to growl.

"Did he touch you?" Kouga asked. Kagome rolled her eyes. Lord help her from male egos.

"Yes, he did, but it's not like I—" Kagome stopped as Kouga pushed past her. "Where are you going?"

"To tell him a thing or two," Kouga snapped as he opened the door and went out.

_Well, at least he isn't home_, Kagome thought, but right then, she heard the unmistakable rattle of Inuyasha's car. _Dammit!_

"Kouga, why did you have to get all big-brothery on me now?" Kagome muttered. She didn't understand that Kouga did not feel like a big brother. He felt like an overprotective lover.

"You!" Kagome heard Kouga shout as a door slammed. Kagome wondered if it was a good idea to go outside. If they killed each other, maybe she would be rid of all the men problems. Fat chance. If that happened, she would feel too guilty to feel happy.

"Me?" Inuyasha asked as he got out of his car. Miroku came out as well. Sometimes, Miroku spent the night at his house, whenever the mood called for it. Inuyasha _did _have two spare bedrooms. Miroku also always said that Inuyasha's bed was far more comfortable than his own.

"You son of a bitch!" Kouga seethed. Inuyasha instantly stiffened.

"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked, his voice dropping an octave like it did when he was faced with a serious situation. Since he had just pulled up, he had not noticed that Kouga had come out of Kagome's house. This guy was a full-fledged wolf-demon, and would not hesitate in giving Inuyasha trouble.

"Listen, dog shit," Kouga spat out as he strode up to Inuyasha. Inuyasha tried to stand motionless, but Kouga invading his personal space had his hackles rising. Miroku watched, interested. He knew that Inuyasha could handle himself, and he also knew he would be more of a hindrance if he tried to intervene. "Ka—"

"Kouga! What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha stiffened even further when he recognized Kagome's voice and that she was calling for _this _piece of wolf crap, and not for him. Kouga continued to glare at Inuyasha, but took a step back when Kagome arrived at the scene of possible murder.

"Kagome," Kouga said with a change in his tone as his gaze slid away from Inuyasha to Kagome. Inuyasha noticed affection when he saw it, and he had to refrain himself from cutting out the wolf's throat when Kouga touched Kagome's arm in a reassuring gesture.

"You," she said, stabbing at Kouga's face with her finger and ignoring his touch, "are in _big _trouble. Get in the house while I apologize for _your _behavior."

"You don't need to apologize to _him_," Kouga spat, giving Inuyasha such a burning look that Inuyasha knew if it was in Kouga's power, he would be dead right now.

"Go, dammit, before I get _really _mad and kick you out of my house," Kagome said through gritted teeth. Inuyasha couldn't stop the growl from coming out of his throat and his hands clenching when he heard that Kouga would be staying at Kagome's house. Miroku looked at Inuyasha with interest. He had known some of Inuyasha's girlfriends. He had seen Inuyasha's reactions to them, and they weren't as fierce as he was showing for his new neighbor. _Interesting_, Miroku thought.

Huffing as Kouga walked away sulkily, throwing hateful looks over his shoulder at Inuyasha, Kagome walked up to Inuyasha. She gave Miroku a look that had him scuttling away to find sanctuary in Inuyasha's house.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome's house, a growl still in his throat. He had threatened _him_, him and Kagome's relationship!

"Listen, I'm sorry about that." Inuyasha's gaze from her house slid to her as she let out a deep breath. It seemed to pain her to apologize to him. His growl died down as he watched her struggle to find words. He was still angry, but it wasn't at Kagome, so he let the anger simmer. "He's very overprotective, and he tends to scare off any potential boyfriends before they begin to even _think _about getting close to me. Still, he's a close friend of mine, and we've been close friends since we broke up and—"

"You _dated _him?" Inuyasha asked incredulously.

"I _slept _with him, too," Kagome said wryly. Inuyasha reeled back in shock, and then stepped forward in anger. Kagome must have felt his anger, because it was coming from him from nearly touchable waves, and she took a step back.

"You _slept _with him." It was a statement, not a question. Still, Kagome nodded. In a move she didn't see, he had her upper arms in his grasp. He moved her out of the line of vision of her house, pulling her so that he was in front of his garage. Now, Miroku couldn't see them either.

Kagome winced as his grip tightened. She tried to pull her arms out of his grasp. "What the hell is _wrong _with you?" Kagome growled out.

"How many lovers have you had?" Inuyasha asked, a hard edge lining his voice. When she continued to struggle, he leaned down and bit her shoulder. Yelping, she stood still in stunned silence. "How many, Kagome?" he demanded.

"He's the only one," Kagome snapped. Was he trying to embarrass her? So what _if _she only had one. He probably thought she had had twenty men on the side, like a model girlfriend of his, or—

It did not make Inuyasha feel better. He had thought she was innocent, and she was, just… It's not like he expected her to be a virgin… It bothered him that a stupid wolf had gotten Kagome first.

Dammit. That wolf had tasted her, known her. It blinded him to reason, and he wanted to show her that although Kouga might have had her first, he would be the last one. He understood that it was an over-possessive thought, and that he had had no such thoughts with any other woman. He understood it, but wasn't capable of processing the thought at the moment.

He leaned down to kiss her, but she moved her head to the side again. Growling, he gripped her chin and leaned down, noticing her panicked expression. She jammed her hands against his chest, but he ignored them.

She expected the kiss to be angry, harsh, and demanding. Instead, it was so soft that she barely felt it. Her problem was that she felt it to the bottom of her soul.

Shuddering under the power of his kiss, her hands moved from his chest to move to his shoulders. Making a small sound in her throat that nearly drove Inuyasha mad, she rose on her toes to make the contact a bit stronger. This wasn't her first kiss, but it felt like her first world-shaking moment. It wasn't the first time she had been touched, but the hands on her arms felt like her first real touch. He hadn't kissed her before, and she supposed that she hadn't let him because she was afraid of this. Kouga had kissed her before, of course, but he hadn't made her feel like _this_. Now if only she could figure out what _this _was.

Inuyasha's own head was reeling, and every breath he took now was filled with Kagome. She was shaking underneath his hands, and he thrilled in that fact. He was doubtful that Kouga could make her feel what _he _was making her feel right now.

"Kagome," he whispered out, and she murmured something in return. "Go out with me tonight."

The statement slowly made her return to reality, from the pleasant waves of pleasure, and she drifted back onto shore.

"No," she said softly. His hands, still on her arms, tightened.

"Why not?" he asked tightly.

"Because of this," Kagome whispered. Inuyasha's hands loosened as he once again saw her panicked expression.

"Keh. I'm not going to tell you to take your time," he warned, and let go of her. He watched her flee like a frightened rabbit back to her house. Walking into his own home, his own mood severely dampened, he saw Miroku sitting on a couch, looking straight at him. "What?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Well, that was fast," Miroku said. Inuyasha thought he was talking about his confrontation with Kagome. He didn't understand that Miroku was talking about how quickly he had fallen in love with his new, feisty neighbor.

* * *

**wk: **Since I actually _should _be studying instead of doing this right now, I'm going to skip **RoR **again. Sorry for you folks that were probably waiting for it. I'll try to write one next time, I promise!

In the meanwhile, please review and tell me how you think the story is progressing along so far. I got so much helpful criticism that my fingers were just _itching _to fix everything. Thanks so much for your support so far guys!

Oops. One more note. Is it **Ayumi **or **Ayami**? I'm confused. (Grimaces) I've been writing almost non-stop for this story, so the next chapter should be out soon.


	4. Manipulation in Murder

**Disclaimer**: You know how it goes.

**wk**: Yep. Chapter four. Enjoy. Sorry it took so long.

**Chapter Four  
Manipulation in Murder**

Kagome had to slow her rapidly thumping heart by breathing deeply. How had he managed to bring _that _reaction out of her? She was still leaning against the front door, noticing that Kouga was sitting on the armrest of one of her sofas. He was looking balefully at her, his eyes filled with disapproval.

"He likes you, and you like him back," Kouga spat.

"I—"

"Don't even try denying it. I can smell the piece of dog shit from all the way over here," Kouga snapped. Kagome shut her mouth, automatically annoyed at how he was treating her. So what if she liked him back? It was _her _relationship, dammit.

"Okay, then I won't," Kagome said slowly through gritted teeth. Men just completely frustrated her. And they said that _women _were confusing. She saw Kouga go stiff at her statement. "Get a grip, Kouga," Kagome said. "It's not like I'm marrying the guy. Just looking for a healthy relationship. You know, the thing I was looking for before when you scared away any potential man," she said wryly.

One side of Kouga's mouth curved upwards in a smirk. "Cowards, all of them."

"Well, I don't think Inuyasha's going to run for the hills, so stop it. And I really like this guy, so don't do anything to jeopardize it. Please?" She went to her kitchen to get a glass of water. "For me?" She didn't _actually _like Inuyasha that much, but if it meant stopping him and Kouga from fighting…

Kouga huffed. There was no way he wasn't going to threaten dog-shit on a daily basis. And he refused to lie to Kagome. "There's no way I'm going to leave him be. And if you sleep with him, so-help-me-God, I'll—"

"You'll what… Spank me?" Kagome asked. She sat next to him on the sofa, taking a gulp of her water. "I'm a big girl now, Kouga. Not the naïve brat that you knew back in college."

"You're wrong, Kagome." Kouga touched a strand of her hair, watched it float down as he let it go. "You're exactly the same." He gave her a grin. "You're still a brat."

"Ha-ha. Very funny," Kagome said, sticking her tongue out at him. She sighed, leaning back against the cushions to look up at him. "Nice to see you, Kouga."

"Nice to see you, too, Kag." Sighing, Kagome got up. She went to a door, opened it.

"This'll be your room for the duration of your stay. Now, I have house rules."

"It's barely been a week since you've moved in, and you already have house rules?"

"Yeah, I've been saving the rules up since I was ten, since I always knew I wanted a house like this. So, the house rules."

"Yeah, yeah. Might as well get it all over with."

"Yes, might as well. Number one: No smoking. If you're going to smoke, please do so outside. And, afterwards, take a shower. I will have _nothing _in my house smelling like cigarettes."

Kouga, a man that smoked regularly, scowled at her.

"Don't give me that face," Kagome said. Before he could retort, she said, "No picking fights with neighbors. Not a word to them. Don't even _look _at him," Kagome said. Kouga's scowl became even larger.

"Look, Kagome—"

"No. I will not put up with any excuses on that front. It's either that, or you get out of my house."

Kouga glared at Kagome. Kagome shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Rules are rules."

"Okay, so keep on going," Kouga snapped.

"Okay. Number three: You have to pay for groceries, as I'm not exactly rich, and I remember _your _appetite, sir."

"Is that it?" Kouga asked after a short pause. Kagome thought about it.

"Yeah, that about sums it up."

"Looks like you didn't have too much of an imagination when you were ten and older," Kouga murmured. Kagome walked over, tugged on one of his sharp ears.

"I heard that, you asshole. Now brush your teeth and get to bed." Kouga grinned, rubbing his smarting ear. As Kouga was walking away however, Kagome gave a loud exclamation.

"Oh! I almost forgot. My room is _off-limits_. _Your _bathroom is over _there_." She pointed across the living room to a small door. Grinning, Kouga turned to go in that direction. On the way, he grabbed a small duffel bag from the floor.

"You sure it's off-limits? Not even for old times' sake?" Kouga drawled.

"Old times are just that. Old. Dead. Kaput. So yeah, it's _off-limits_," Kagome said. With a small mock pout, Kouga turned to head towards the bathroom.

Kagome didn't know that Kouga hadn't been joking. He had quit his job to come here, to try to convince her to love him again. He had missed her, like a kid missed his baby blanket. He just _needed _her.

He didn't expect Inuyasha. This was going to take a little more effort than he thought.

* * *

Inuyasha couldn't sleep. He tossed, turned, and even went out for a light jog that consisted of the whole city. He had almost hoped that someone would try to rob him so he could take out his frustrations that way.

Kagome wasn't innocent, but that only seemed to make his desire for her stronger. He wanted to be the last. He wanted her to remember _him_ and not Kouga. He wanted…

Oh, boy. He wanted really badly.

With a groan, Inuyasha tried to smother himself on his pillow.

"Dammit," he sighed. He never really had this problem before. He did, of course, have sexual desires, but they weren't particularly strong. If they were, he called one of the women in his little black book. Some women thought it was exciting to have sex with a demon. Some women wanted that thrill. Usually, he would give it to them.

Now, however, he didn't want that thrill with just any passing pair of legs. It would have been much easier if it _had _been that.

He heard Miroku laugh outside at something a comedian said on the TV. He didn't understand how Miroku could stay up so late. It was one in the morning, and usually, Inuyasha was asleep by eleven.

Growling into his pillow, he tried to push the thought of Kouga being under the same roof as Kagome out of his head. This all-consuming jealousy couldn't be healthy for him. What if they had become lovers again? Why _was _Kouga there, anyway?

Kagome was _his _dammit!

He became still at the thought, trying to decipher what the over possessiveness meant. If a woman in his past went to another man, he shrugged it off. She wasn't important. If she wanted to become a whore, then let her. But Kagome… He couldn't stand the thought of her being with another man, other than himself. She was special, and she had a light inside of her that he just wanted to catch, to hold, to… to… nurture?

He snorted at himself. That was just ridiculous. He wanted to be her _lover_, not her _mother_. Still, he couldn't push back the feeling that he wanted to hold her, to nuzzle her to death. Ugh. These affectionate feelings were starting to make him feel sick.

"I need to get laid," Inuyasha said mournfully. "Miroku, turn that damn thing off and go to bed!"

"In a minute, Inuyasha," Miroku said. He must have been beat as a child, Inuyasha thought. The man never did anything you told him to do, unless Miroku saw fit.

Plagued by thoughts of Kagome and Kouga, Inuyasha fell into a light, troubled sleep.

In the morning, he looked awful. He saw the shadows under his eyes in the mirror, and his mussed up hair. Sighing, he brushed his teeth. He wished he could sleep in, but his training suggested otherwise. Never had he slept past six in the morning. If he came home from work at six in the morning, he would just remain awake. Being half-demon helped. Still, he felt exhausted. He heard Kagome's car zoom off, undoubtedly going to school.

Thinking of her teaching little kids made him smile. She would be impatient with some, but still treat them fairly.

Inuyasha, after brushing his teeth and shaving, went back to bed. He lied down, although thoughts of going back to sleep were laughable. Sighing, he heard Miroku's light snore from the next room. Despising the ex-monk for his ability to fall asleep, Inuyasha cursed him under his breath.

He looked out his window into his backyard, which had many trees. He wondered if he should sleep in a tree. It was incredibly soothing and he hadn't done it in years. He might be able to fall asleep if—

All thoughts entertaining the idea of going to sleep peacefully with a light breeze surrounding him were dissipated as he heard his beeper go off. Sighing, he threw his blanket off, and leaned down to retrieve his beeper.

He put on a clean pair of slacks, and another shirt that buttoned up in the front. Instead of knocking, he only walked into Miroku's room while buttoning up his shirt.

"Get up, lazy asshole. Time for work." Miroku's eyes blearily looked at him from underneath the cover.

"I don't wanna work today," Miroku grumbled. "I'm tired."

"Well, that's what you get when you go to sleep… whenever you went to sleep."

Miroku looked at the clock next to the bed. "An hour ago."

"Okay, well, next time, I'm sure you won't do that, right?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku sighed and nodded, although they both knew that Miroku would break this one promise each and every time.

Inuyasha waited until Miroku was dressed before starting his car. Miroku winced as he entered the car. "I feel such a keen embarrassment whenever I'm seen in this car."

"Well, that's the kind of embarrassment _I _feel when I'm seen with you," Inuyasha said while pulling out of the driveway. He smoothly started to drive to the station. He pointedly ignored the motorcycle in Kagome's driveway.

"Ouch. And I thought we were best friends," Miroku said with a wry grin.

When they arrived at the station, there was a ruckus inside. Inuyasha knew what that meant.

"There was a murder," Inuyasha said. Miroku rolled his eyes.

"Try to sound less excited, will ya?"

"Well, think about it. If the chief called us in, and there was a _murder_…"

"Then you think he's called us here to head the investigation?" Miroku asked, surprise lacing his voice. "Yes, that _does _make sense."

They went in, and true to Inuyasha's prediction, they were to head to the scene of the crime immediately. They were handed the files on the case so far, and who the victims were. Inuyasha grimaced as Miroku read him the file in the car.

"Mitsuki and Nibuhoshi Hara were killed in their homes, and their son, Kohaku was kidnapped. Their daughter was found at the bottom of the stairs, bleeding through a wound in her side. She was holding a weapon, shaped like a boomerang that was nearly 5.5 feet in length." Inuyasha whistled. Big boomerang. "The family cat, which happens to be a demon cat, was also a survivor. It was found in its fully transformed form, also bleeding from a wound from its neck and legs. If demons weren't such fast healers, the cat named Kirara would be dead."

That was when they arrived. The house was a mess. On the outside, it looked pristine and _big_, but on the inside, it was torn up. There were other cops already swarming over the area, and special technicians that were trying to find any shed of proof of… of anyone or anything.

Sango, the survivor, had already been whisked away to a hospital, but the cat was still there. A demon veterinarian was looking it over, but the cat was licking its own wounds in the process.

Now Inuyasha knew why the chief put them in charge of this case. There was no lead, nothing solid to go on, and only an unconscious girl and a healing cat to tell him what went wrong.

"Great," he sighed out. "Look, do you know what happened here?" he asked Kirara. Kirara, still tense from her fight, remained in her large form. Kirara moved its head to indicate that yes, she knew what had happened. "Someone attacked, right?" Again, the same movement. It was like a nod, only more feline in its movement. It was like a cat making an absent move with its head.

"Inuyasha, you're talking to a cat," Miroku murmured. "People are looking."

Inuyasha scowled. "It's not just an ordinary housecat, Miroku. It's a demon, and demons are a lot smarter than people give us credit for. See, she understands me," Inuyasha said as Kirara made its nodding movement again.

"Okay," Miroku said. It's not that he didn't believe Inuyasha. It was that the looks that people were giving Inuyasha were a little short of friendly.

"Do you know who attacked you?" Kirara nodded, but shook its head right after. At first, Inuyasha was confused, but he figured out that Kirara knew at least _one _attacker. Inuyasha felt a surge of urgency run through him. If Kirara knew the perpetrator, it was most likely that Sango Hara did, too. The demon veterinarian finished his job, and packed up his things before going. "Do you know _why _they attacked you?" Kirara shook her head. "Was it more than one?" This time, it was a nod. Inuyasha quickly jotted the note down. So, the culprit had some friends. "Thanks, Kirara. If I have any more questions, will you be available for me?" Inuyasha asked. A nod. Inuyasha dipped his head in thanks, and moved away.

Miroku, who had moved away during Inuyasha's questioning, was talking to one of the officers. As Inuyasha came up, the officer gave Inuyasha a sort of respectful sneer (if that was possible) and walked away to rejoin the others.

"What was he saying?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku's lips were pursed thoughtfully.

"They said there was more than one attacker. They think it might have been two or three," Miroku said. Inuyasha didn't tell him that he already knew this.

"And?"

"Oh, yes. They said that this family was most likely attacked for their demon exterminating. Some of the lesser demons were probably getting angry at the Hara's for attacking them, so they attacked the Hara's," Miroku said. Inuyasha shook his head at this theory.

"I don't think so." Miroku shook his head, too.

"I don't either."

"If they exterminate demons, then why keep a demon as a pet?" Inuyasha asked.

"They probably only exterminated the ones who needed to be exterminated. You know. Humans are yummy in my tummy… Those sorts," Miroku said. Inuyasha nodded.

The forensics team were going over every inch of the place, and they had found a few hairs that were questionable. Inuyasha was truly impressed because the whole family and it seemed the attackers, were all black-haired. How they found the hairs Inuyasha had no idea. They didn't find fingerprints, although they found a residue of a foreign substance on the mantel of the fireplace.

Inuyasha put his nose to work, his nose twitching as he sniffed. "Oh, gross," Inuyasha said, his nose wrinkling as he took in the scents and tried to work through them. There was a _lot _of blood. The scent of blood was coming most strongly from upstairs, and Inuyasha had no doubt that _that _was where the Hara's were. The parents had died in a gruesome manner if there was so much blood.

Inuyasha took another whiff, trying to block out the scent of blood. This time, he smelled a scent that was none of the Hara's. It smelled acrid, and Inuyasha stopped himself from gagging.

"Ick. Guy should take a bath once in a while," Inuyasha said, sniffing a little more delicately this time. Miroku, who had been watching him, looked startled.

"The guy that attacked?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah… It was one guy, and a girl, at least," Inuyasha murmured. Miroku who had seen the power of his nose before, was still in awe of it.

"You know they can't use your nose as proof in the court of law, though, right?" Miroku pointed out. Inuyasha gave Miroku a dirty look.

"I don't understand why. If they can use a simple house dog as a 'witness' or one of those sniffing dogs as proof, why can't they use me?"

"Because you can _lie_," Miroku said. Inuyasha huffed.

"It's not like I would," Inuyasha protested. Miroku shrugged.

"_They _don't know that," Miroku said. Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest.

"Keh. Whatever. It's not as if I care either way," Inuyasha said. The problem, Miroku thought, was that Inuyasha cared too much. Despite his careless attitude, why be in this profession if he didn't care?

Bringing his sleeve up to his nose to filter out some smells, he started to go up the stairs.

"Miroku, you coming?" Inuyasha asked gravely as he stopped at the middle of the staircase.

"Yeah, coming…" Miroku started to go up the stairs as well. This wasn't something he was looking forward to. They found the parent's room separately taped off. There was blood across the walls, on the floor, on the bed. They had been killed brutally, kept alive through the process, judging by how much blood there was.

Inuyasha fought off the urge to avert his eyes from the scene.

"What kind of sick bastard would do such a thing?" Miroku said in disgust.

Inuyasha envied Miroku for the fact that Miroku had a human nose. "The kind of sick bastard that kills for fun. Do you think the perp knew them?"

"No. Maybe knew _of _them, but I don't think he _knew _them. Their faces weren't attacked. The slashes the perp made was deliberate, but it was most likely for his own enjoyment more than anything. Just to kill."

"Wonderful. My favorite kind of murderer," Inuyasha murmured. He trusted Miroku's judgment in these matters. The kid _was _a psych major. Why he hadn't gone into criminal psychology mystified Inuyasha. "Why didn't the kids notice? Why were they downstairs?"

"Most likely watching TV. Or something. They said that the girl was in her exterminating uniform, and how the boy was dressed is up to speculation until the girl revives." Miroku gingerly stepped on the carpet, carefully not to step in any dried blood. He got as close as he could get, peering at the parents' faces. "They had been duct-taped. Across the eyes, across the mouth. See? There's spots of blood on the faces, but there aren't anywhere near this rectangular area. And he must have ripped them off when they were dead. I don't understand why, though…"

"Probably because he wanted to keep a souvenir," Inuyasha said in disgust, his sleeve still over his nose.

They moved out of the bedroom, and went through the other bedrooms, using gloves to not disturb anything. The other children's rooms were in tact, and it looked as pristine and perfect as it probably would have looked in a magazine.

"So the kids were downstairs, maybe having come home from demon exterminating since the girl was in her uniform, and they think their parents are asleep. However, when the perp comes out of the room, the girl hears it. Her cat, a perceptive creature, transforms into her larger, more intimidating form. The girl, Sango, is attacked as soon as the perp comes down the stairs. With her bleeding and the cat also attacked, the perp decides to take the boy." Inuyasha rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"It's not concrete. It's only speculation until the girl wakes up."

"Well, then, by all means, let's go to the hospital to wait until Sleeping Beauty decides to open her eyes."

* * *

They arrived at the hospital only to find that the girl was in surgery. The perp had sliced up part of her kidney, and they were deciding on whether they could fix it or whether or not to just take it out. She wouldn't wake for a couple of hours after that, and then would have a tube stuck into her throat as precaution for another hour or so, so Miroku and Inuyasha settled down for a long wait.

A couple of naps, cups of coffee, and a few hours later, she was finally awake.

"She says she's able to see you now. Mind you, she's still groggy, and she's gone through a traumatic experience, so there'll be a doctor next to her bed to authorize and to make sure she doesn't go further into shock. And her throat's a little sore from the tube, but she can speak. Usually, she would have it in longer, but the urgency of the situation made the doctor make some decisions." Miroku nodded at the nurse, and despite the situation, his gaze lingered in some inappropriate areas. Oblivious, the nurse only turned and walked away. Miroku gave Inuyasha a look, waggling his eyebrows. Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha pulled Miroku with him into the room.

Sango was pale, almost as white as the sheets and the walls of the room surrounding her. "Hello," she croaked. Her eyes were drooping, but Inuyasha could tell she was fighting to stay awake.

"Hi," he said, making sure his tone was soft and unthreatening. Sango let out a big breath, and Inuyasha could tell there were tears in her eyes as she tried to collect herself.

"Before you can ask," Sango said hoarsely, and then paused. Inuyasha and Miroku both waited patiently. The doctor to Sango's right tried to look like he wasn't listening, but was failing horribly. Sango looked like collecting herself was just as painful as having her kidney yanked out. Taking another deep breath, and going even more pale, she said, "It was my brother that killed my parents and attacked me."

Inuyasha's hand, which had been ready to write on a notepad, stilled. He felt Miroku become just as still beside him.

"He couldn't help it," she said quickly. "Someone else was behind it. I never saw him, but I _knew _he was there. He even talked to me. He was controlling my brother, somehow."

Was she just desperately trying to protect her brother, even after what he had done, or had she really known that someone was there? A shadow perhaps, quietly manipulating the strings on her brother using demon magic. It was heard of, Inuyasha thought a bit despairingly. It was forbidden, but laws were broken all the time. It was why his job existed in the first place.

"I came home at night, after taking a call to a house in the woods. They were being attacked occasionally, and they wanted me to come to take care of the problem. So I did, and went back home. I walk into the living room, and Kirara starts growling and transforms. There's this huge gust of wind, and things are being blown off counters and shelves, and it's so strong that I hit the wall pretty hard. The next thing I knew, I was in my parents' bedroom…" She shook her head slowly, her lower lip shaking as she tried to suppress her emotions.

"They made me watch my brother kill my parents. My brother had this blank look in his eyes. After he killed them, it was as if his strings had been cut. He slumped to the floor, and the blank look left." She started to sob, her breaths raspy. The doctor looked alarmed, but Sango waved off his attempts to soothe her. "He slowly stood up, and he was looking around himself as if he didn't know what was happening, where he was. He looked at me and said, 'Sister?'" Her tears flowed down her cheeks, and she visibly tried to get a hold of herself.

Miroku, who couldn't really watch a woman in distress, moved towards her before the doctor could. He sat next to her on the edge of the bed, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder, a soothing sound coming from his throat. Sango, needing the support, leaned into Miroku. Her tears hadn't lessened, but she was able to breathe a lot easier now.

"If you'd rather us come tomorrow…" Miroku started.

"No!" Sango said fiercely. Well, as fiercely as her throat would allow. "I need to get this out tonight. I don't think I can say this a second time." Nodding in understanding, Miroku squeezed her shoulder in reassurance.

"Please, go on," Miroku said. Sango nodded.

"So then Kohaku turned around, and he saw our parents… He looked down at the weapon in his hand, and he dropped it as he realized what he had done."

"And you only stood there?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku threw him a dirty look for interrupting, but Inuyasha knew this question couldn't be helped.

"There was no one holding me physically, but I was immobilized. A spell, most likely. And Kirara was downstairs… I could hear her snarling and fighting something, but I couldn't pay attention… My brother had been forced to kill our parents…" Inuyasha felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Suddenly, Sango twisted, ripping out one of her IV tubes as she grabbed Miroku's shirt front. "Kirara," she said hoarsely, and she didn't have to say anything else as Miroku gently grasped her hand in his own before giving it to the doctor who hurriedly reapplied the IV.

"She's fine. She's in better shape than you are," Inuyasha said before Miroku could answer. "We demons are more resilient."

Sango nodded, and her hand went to her head. The sudden outburst must have triggered a headache. However, she had already expressed her wishes to talk about this now, so both he and Miroku said nothing in offering to leave.

"He went to them, took the duct tape off. It stuck to his hands, and I don't think he even thought about removing them. He tried to do it as gently as possible…" Sango took another deep breath. "Suddenly, he went stiff again. The blank look came over his eyes again…" She paused. "I was able to move again then, and I tried to get to him, but there was some kind of barrier blocking me. A voice told me to go get my weapon. I ignored the voice, but the next thing I know, Hiraikotsu is being hurled at me."

Inuyasha deduced that Hiraikotsu was the name of her impressive boomerang. "Under such close quarters, you wouldn't have been able to use it properly," Inuyasha said.

"It didn't matter. I would never attack my brother with it. I only blocked his attacks. Soon, however, he penetrated my defense." Her hand went to her side, where Inuyasha remembered her kidney had been removed. "And I fell down the stairs. The last I saw of him was that he was in some kind of weird bubble, and he disappeared." Sango slammed her fists down on to the bed. "He disappeared," she whispered brokenly. "The last thing I remember before passing out," she added, "was a strange woman fighting with Kirara." Sango blew out a breath. "I didn't see her face." Wiping her tears away, she sat prone and silent. Miroku moved away from her, and Sango didn't protest.

It pained Miroku that she was in such obvious pain, and there was no one that could really understand. It was one thing to have your family murdered by strangers, but then to have your family murdered by your own sibling… It must have been devastating, and he was surprised she was handling it as well as she was. Still, if the cold fury was anything to go by, he knew her plan would be to retrieve her brother, and bring down the wrongdoer for his sickening acts against her family.

"I hope you feel all right, Ms. Hara. In the meanwhile, please do try to rest. If you need to ask anything, or if you remember anything else…" Inuyasha rooted in his pockets until he found a card. "These are our numbers." Sango took it numbly.

"Thank you," she said, her voice tight with the pain she had to endure physically and emotionally.

"You're welcome. Don't hesitate to call," Inuyasha told her. Sango didn't reply, and Inuyasha only went out the door with a reluctant Miroku following. "Do you think she'll try anything stupid?"

"Like kill-herself stupid?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Like, go-after-him stupid." Miroku nodded.

"Yeah, I think she will. Still, I think she'll be more of an asset more than anything else."

"You would think that for any pair of breasts and legs," Inuyasha said. It wasn't really the time for amusement, but both found that laughing about _something _helped to relieve the tension and the stress.

"But those are the best kinds of assets," Miroku murmured. They entered Inuyasha's car, and the silence was almost unbearable for both.

"Want some coffee?" Inuyasha asked. Miroku shook his head.

"I don't want to stay awake tonight. Can I stay at your place tonight?"

"If you turn on that damn TV again, I'll—"

"I won't. I just need a safe place to sleep," Miroku said uneasily. "Her story spooked me."

Inuyasha didn't say anything, didn't even tease Miroku about his sudden vulnerability, because he felt the same damn way.

* * *

**wk**: So Sango was introduced in this chapter in the sort of depressing way she was introduced in the show. The only difference is that she doesn't believe Inuyasha's the bad guy in this.

Okay. Chapter four is done, and I will get chapter five up sometime... later. Thanks guys for the support. (Smiles)


	5. Kiss Me

**Disclaimer**: Not mineeee

**wk**: Yeah... Been a while, folks. But like I said in, "Don't Touch that Dial: 102.5 FM is Back!", I'll be updating more frequently now... Hopefully. (Grins)

**Chapter Five  
Kiss Me**

Kagome woke up with a start, pulling herself out of a nightmare. Dogs and wolves, all of them ripping each other apart while trying to get to her, were chasing her. It was bloody, gory, and completely disconcerting because she knew the symbolism behind it.

Kagome scratched an itch on her back as she shuffled to her bathroom. She flicked on the light and screamed.

Kouga was standing there, dripping wet and a towel around his waist. "Did you know your shower only has cold water?" Kouga asked sheepishly.

"It does _not_!" Kagome growled, averting her eyes and stepping out of the bathroom. "When the heck did you come in here?"

"While you were sleeping, duh," Kouga said mildly, raking his wet hair back with his claws.

"I thought I told you off-limits! You could have at least _asked _me when I woke up!" Kagome sighed out, exasperated.

"I didn't want to wake you. You seemed so peaceful…" Kouga smiled, as if remembering her face.

"You _looked _at me while I was asleep? Weirdo," Kagome hissed. "Get out! Now!"

Kouga sighed, gave Kagome a pout, but she only pointed her finger out the bedroom door. He obligingly left, and Kagome locked the door. Not that it would do any good, since he knew how to pick locks with his claws, but she knew he wouldn't unlock a locked door. Not in _her _house.

Grumbling under her breath as she went into her bathroom, she started to brush her teeth when she saw something on the counter. She lifted it, and saw that it was Kouga's underwear.

Groaning and dropping it disgustedly, she kicked it away, her mouth full of toothpaste. Cursing him through foam, she viciously brushed her teeth until her gums were bleeding. She glanced at the shower, and fumed once more in a string of curses that were (thankfully) indecipherable. She felt strange, showering in a stall that a man had just come out of. She took her clothes off, double-checked the lock on the bathroom door, and gingerly stepped into her shower. Making a face, she turned the water on, and sighed as the soothing hot water washed her.

After her shower, she felt a lot mellower, and she was ready to forgive. She didn't believe for a second his shower was only producing cold water, but she would forgive him nonetheless and prove to him that there was hot water.

Besides, he could _use _a couple of cold showers. When she changed into a pinstripe suit and put on her glasses (Her eyes weren't so bad that she needed them, but she thought she looked intellectual in them. And the optometrist told her that her eyes were a _tad _off), she stepped out of her room. When she was hit with the scent of coffee, she knew she was ready to forgive.

"Sorry I used your shower this morning. I know it seems strange that my shower is not giving out hot water, but…" He gave another sheepish grin. He held out a plate, and when Kagome looked at it, there was a bagel with cream cheese already spread on it. When she grabbed it, he gave her a thermos.

"It has coffee in it, since you'll probably drink some during work. This is a lot better than what they probably have in those teacher lounges, anyway." Kagome stuffed the bagel in her mouth, having difficulty swallowing. She was nodding enthusiastically.

When she had managed to force down the bagel, she grinned at him. "I was mad at you about _something _before I came out here. If you give me another bagel, I just might forget altogether…" she waggled her eyebrows, and he laughed, handing her another plate. "You know, you'd make a great housewife," Kagome mumbled, nibbling on her bagel. She was a bit more careful not to try to swallow the entire thing this time. Kouga gave her a strange look, one that had her looking at him curiously. It was… longing?

"Well, off to work. Thanks for breakfast. I'll treat you out one day." Kagome grabbed a book bag (she found that this was a lot more practical than a suitcase), and went outside. Pausing, she took the cap off the thermos and inhaled the good, addictive aroma of coffee. Taking a sip, she gave an appreciative moan, and started for her car. When she looked to her right, she found Inuyasha outside, staring at her. It was like being caught by some kind of hypnotic gaze. She was frozen in her tracks like a deer caught in the headlights. She thought his gaze was just as deadly as an oncoming car. She would just have to avoid being hit.

Slowly, carefully, she walked towards him. Inuyasha's stare became wary, and she paused. Why the hell was _he _being so cautious? She felt like _she _should have been the one turning and running. Kagome walked over to him, tipping her face up to look up at him.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she only stared back at him. She knew that if there were anyone else looking at them right now, it would have been strange. A man and a woman were staring at each other with such intensity, but they weren't doing anything.

Kagome cleared her throat, and Inuyasha seemed to snap out of it. "Hi," he finally said.

"Hi," Kagome replied, taking another sip of her coffee. She put the lid carefully back on, since she didn't want to drink it all right now. "Why are you being so weird right now?"

"I'm… thinking," Inuyasha said slowly.

"Oh… That's new, isn't it?" Kagome said, smiling teasingly. The tension seemed to ease some, and he smirked at her.

"Why… Do you know anything about thinking?" Inuyasha retorted. Kagome scowled at him.

"More than _your _thick head does." Kagome glanced at her watch, and Inuyasha blinked, taking in the rest of her. He had been deep in thought, and the moment Kagome had stepped out, he had stared at her as if she was some kind of anomaly. He had been focused on her face, the way she closed her eyes in bliss when she had sipped her coffee. When she began walking towards him, he had automatically stiffened. He felt as if some kind of bubble had burst.

Now, he looked at the rest of her, and lust was suddenly there, roaring through his veins. She looked _hot _in that suit, and he had never seen her in glasses. She seemed prim, but her hair was loose, offsetting the strict look. Her lips were slightly wet, and her scent drifted to him. He inhaled deeply, and knew that he was in deep trouble.

"Well, I might be late, so I'll—" Kagome was interrupted as she was suddenly in an embrace. Her head slightly reeling, she leaned back to tell him that she didn't appreciate being manhandled. However, as soon as she opened her mouth, his lips fitted over hers, teasing, caressing. Kagome hung loosely in his grip, glad that he could easily shift her weight onto his. Her fists were clenched in the fabric of his shirt, and she was easily carried away by his devastating kiss.

Despite the roaring hunger in both their bloods, Inuyasha kept the kiss soft, lingering just to taste her flavor. When he pulled away, Kagome was the only thing on his mind, and he shook his head as if to clear it. He watched Kagome lick her lips, and her hands were still in his shirt. Her eyes were closed.

"Wow," she said, opening her eyes. Her eyes had darkened, and Inuyasha nearly suggested going into his house.

"I like your suit," Inuyasha said, putting his hands in his pockets to keep them to himself. Ravishing her in public was not a good idea.

"I can tell," Kagome said seriously, running her hands down the suit to smooth out the wrinkles. She cleared her throat. "I better go before…" she trailed off.

"Before you're late?" Inuyasha supplied. Kagome nodded, a bit lightheaded.

"Yeah. That…" Inuyasha grinned at her, and put his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her again, just a light brush of the lips this time.

"I'll see you later. I'll take you out tonight. And you'll let me pay this time, too."

"Uh-huh," Kagome murmured, nodding her head. Inuyasha grinned, seeing this as a personal victory.

Kagome stumbled back to her car, realizing that she still had her thermos in her hand, and she looked towards her own house guiltily before getting into her car, shaking her head. Kouga wasn't her keeper. She had no reason to feel guilty. Right?

* * *

Inuyasha watched her go with a kind of satisfied sigh. He wiggled his toes in the grass, saw an ant crawl across one of his toes. One of ears twitched towards his house. Miroku's cell phone was ringing. He heard an accompanying _thud_ as Miroku undoubtedly fell out of "bed." 

"Stupid humans," Inuyasha muttered as he moved to go inside. Before he could go inside however, a disgusting smell assailed his nostrils. He turned, already bristling.

"I thought I told you to stay away from her, dog-shit," Kouga snarled. "Kagome's _mine_. _I _was her first!"

"And _I'll _be her last!" Inuyasha growled, stepping up. Kouga's hackles rose.

"Keep your damn paws off of her, dog-shit!" Kouga hissed. Inuyasha didn't say anything, just turned his back to him and walked into the house. Inuyasha was surprised at himself. Walking away from fights wasn't usually what he did.

He slammed the door, and Miroku peered at him from over the arm of the sofa. His cell phone was on his face, and Miroku looked serious for someone who had just woken up.

"Yeah. No, that was just Inuyasha. Yes. We'll be there in a few minutes." He hung up. He looked at Inuyasha. "Miss Hara wants us to meet her today at the hospital. She says she has a request for us."

"A request? As in, she wants a favor from us?" Inuyasha frowned. "Did she tell you what?"

"No, Inuyasha, she did not. Now hurry up. Let's go." Miroku paused as he started to get up. "Were you talking to someone outside? I thought I heard yelling."

"It was no one," Inuyasha growled, his anger coming back to him in a wave. He wanted to _wring _that stupid wolf's neck! To throw the fact that Kouga had made love with Kagome in his face…

Why had he fought to keep himself in check? Why hadn't he just pounded that stupid face in?

He had no idea. Maybe he was just trying to stay on Kagome's good side. Starting shit with her ex was not exactly the best idea. Still... The yearning to see the wolf's face cave in from his fist was most alluring.

"Inuyasha! Hurry up! I'm ready to go!" Miroku called from the living room.

"Oy! At least brush your teeth! That's pretty gross, man!" Inuyasha retorted. Miroku came into Inuyasha's room, glaring.

"I was _going _to, but if I'm not correct, _you're _the one that usually takes the longest to go. While _you _get ready, _I _brush my teeth. _Remember_?" Miroku asked through gritted teeth. Inuyasha grinned. One way to piss Miroku off was suggest his hygiene was not that great.

Grunting, Miroku pushed past him into Inuyasha's bathroom. Since Miroku stayed over so often, he had an extra toothbrush there.

Inuyasha pulled out slacks and a crimson button-up shirt. He changed, and went to retrieve his jacket. He looked yearningly at his leather jacket, and wished that fall and winter would come sooner so that he could wear it again.

Instead of the leather, he put on a much lighter jacket to compensate for the heat. When he stepped out of his closet, Miroku was ready to go, impatient with him.

Miroku winced when they got outside and he saw Inuyasha's state car.

"Let's just use my car. I just look at your car and it hurts my insides."

"It's not my fault they give me a shitty car," Inuyasha murmured, but went towards Miroku's car.

Miroku's car wasn't flashy, but was a solid, dependable truck.

"Why don't they give me a car like this?" Inuyasha whined. Miroku rolled his eyes.

"Gee, maybe it's because you crash every other car they give you."

"I do not," Inuyasha scoffed. Miroku again rolled his eyes. "Okay, maybe one or two."

"I think the records would say something different," Miroku stated dryly.

They drove to the hospital, and Inuyasha sighed as they got on the elevator.

"You know, I was excited about this case at first. Now, I think I might actually quit my job," Inuyasha said. Miroku gave him a sidelong glance, knowing Inuyasha wasn't serious. This job was their lives. And Inuyasha just wouldn't be able to handle it if he quit. He would go crazy and become a criminal himself.

"Go right ahead," Miroku drawled. Inuyasha scowled at him.

"I see how much _you _care."

"Well, you've been saying stuff about quitting since you started. That was… what… five years ago?"

"No! …More like four…"

"Oh, that's _so _much better."

"Yeah, it is! That's three hundred and sixty-five days! Times four!" Inuyasha grinned triumphantly as if he had won the argument. Miroku only rolled his eyes.

When they reached Sango's room, all banter and jokes stopped. When they stepped into the room, they were both deadly serious.

Sango was lying there, staring out the window. Inuyasha thought he heard Miroku's breath catch, but wrote it off as his imagination when Miroku cleared his throat lightly to get Sango's attention. The young woman turned her head wearily, as if that small action cost her too much energy. When she saw them, she struggled to sit up. Miroku quickly went over to her side to help her up. She gave him a thankful glance, and sat back against the pillows.

"I'm sorry I called you both out here. It's just… I thought it would be impersonal if I asked a favor of you over the phone." Sango took a breath. "I simply wanted to ask if one of you, or both of you, would look over Kirara while I'm in the hospital. I'm not sure the state handlers will be able to care for her, since they're mostly human. I can't have anything happen to Kirara, and I would feel so much better if it was one of you that was taking care of her instead. She'd be safer that way, as well."

Miroku winced and sighed. "I can't take care of her, since I live in apartments. And I can tell you right now that pets aren't allowed."

Sango turned hopeful eyes to Inuyasha. Inuyasha scowled. "It'll be a hassle," he said. Miroku gave him a deadly look, and Sango quickly cast her eyes downward.

"Please," she whispered, and Inuyasha wished he could have kicked himself in the head. Hadn't she gone through enough? Why was he being so cruel to her? "I'll pay you once I'm out. She's all I have left. She can't…" Sango trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"I don't want your money," Inuyasha said, scowling. Sango shut her eyes, obviously trying to fight tears. "Oy, don't get all weepy. I'll take care of your cat," Inuyasha said gruffly. Sango turned wet eyes up to him, gratitude clearly in their depths. Miroku, however, only had murderous intent written all over his eyes. Inuyasha sighed. His big, stupid mouth had decided to give Sango a harder time than necessary.

Wasn't this the problem with him? He was all prickly thorns when all he wanted to do was sympathize and help.

Dammit. He would have to cut those damn thorns if he was going to have any kind of normal relationship with people. Miroku didn't count. Miroku was a mighty strange one himself. And Kagome… Well, he would figure it out as time crept by.

"Where is she being kept right now?" Sango told him, and Inuyasha filed away the information in his brain. Miroku stared intently at Sango, who didn't seem to notice.

"Okay. I'll go pick her up today. Tomorrow, at the very latest. Listen, I'll do you this favor if you do me one."

Sango looked up at him, clearly surprised. Tension and apprehension seemed to fill the air. Inuyasha felt Miroku's glaring, burning eyes on him, tearing mental holes through him. Inuyasha nearly flinched from Miroku's murderous stare.

"I'll take care of Kirara as long as you get better quickly so you can take her off of my hands," Inuyasha said gruffly, his voice harsh. Still, the underlying message was clear: Get better soon. Sango relaxed, her lip twitching with a small smile. Miroku relaxed as well, giving Inuyasha a look that clearly stated that if Inuyasha had said something to make Sango more distressed, Inuyasha's hide would have been mounted on his wall.

"Okay. I will," Sango said softly.

"All right then. Miroku, keep her company, will ya? And give me your car keys." Miroku tossed them to him, and Inuyasha left without a backwards glance.

He got into the truck, and felt the rumble of the engine. Seriously, why couldn't the police department have given him a car like this? Solid, dependable…

He was solid and dependable… Right?

He made his way to the veterinarian center, where Sango said Kirara was being held. Kirara mewed loudly when she saw him, and Inuyasha handled all the papers and showed his badge where appropriate. Kirara seemed to be better, although she handled her right forepaw with caution.

"Did you hurt it in your fight, or did these jerk-offs treat you badly?" Inuyasha asked the demon cat. Kirara only mewed, her eyes hardening. "Was it the one that hurt your masters?" Kirara was silent, but Inuyasha saw the fur bristling at the cat's neck.

"Do you want to see Sango?" At the mention of Sango, the fur smoothed out and Kirara seemed excited, mewing and trying to push itself up further in Inuyasha's arms. "Okay, okay. But you have to be quiet, so I can sneak you in." Inuyasha went back to the hospital, talking to Kirara the entire way. Well, except for a brief interlude when the chief had called him to tell him some of his new orders and to ask for an update.

When he arrived at the hospital, he told Kirara, "I bet Miroku's still in there with your mistress. He seems to be smitten with her. Wanna bet they're gonna end up married with ten kids?" Kirara ruffled her fur and mewed. "Yeah, he's probably not worthy of her. But what man is?"

He thought of Kagome, and briefly thought if he was "worthy" enough for her. Then he thought of someone else being with her, and he knew he didn't care. Call it selfish, but he didn't want to see her with anyone else. Not while he still hadn't gotten her out of his system yet.

When they went inside the hospital, Inuyasha deposited Kirara into the inside pocket of his jacket. "If they ask, you're a cute, fuzzy gun, and I'll just show my badge. No noise or moving now." Kirara could have been a rock for all she moved in his pocket. Inuyasha made a few nodding movements towards nurses, and headed for the elevator. A few people noticed the telltale bump on his chest, but he placed his badge on his belt for everyone to see and no one bothered him.

When he stepped into Sango's room, he didn't see Miroku anywhere. Sango brightened when she saw him.

"Did you get her?" Sango asked. There was suddenly a mew and lots of movement inside his jacket as Kirara fought to get out of his pocket.

"Oy! If you rip my jacket, I'm gonna be pissed!" Inuyasha hissed. Kirara climbed out when he opened his jacket. Kirara hopped onto the bed and ran into Sango's outstretched arms. When Inuyasha saw the tears starting to form in Sango's eyes, he turned his head to the side uncomfortably. Emotions—happy or otherwise—made him antsy. Thankfully, Sango seemed to be able to rein in her tears, and she thanked Inuyasha profusely while petting Kirara. "I thought you might want to see her, since the doctors say you're gonna be in here for a few more weeks."

"A few more… _weeks_?" Sango asked, blinking. Inuyasha nodded.

"They want to make sure that you're emotionally able _and _physically able." Sango's expression darkened. "And you had a pretty serious concussion. They want to make sure everything is okay with that and that you don't have any internal bruising. Also…" Inuyasha paused. When the chief had called, it was to tell Inuyasha to deliver to Sango some of the news she would undoubtedly hear. Inuyasha sighed. He had to do all the dirty work.

"Your parents… Their remains…" Sango stiffened. Inuyasha continued. "Their remains are going to go through autopsy, and we can preserve their bodies, until you can attend their funerals. Or cremations. It's really all up to you. And my chief also informs me that your lawyer has been trying to reach you. It seems he's come here, but he's been turned away by you. Lawyers don't usually turn to cops for help, but this one seems to want to talk to you badly."

"I know," Sango growled. Then she sighed. "Thank you, for telling me about my parents. I'll speak with my lawyer when I feel I can handle it. If you could relay that information to him, please tell him to just leave his number and I'll call him back… later."

Inuyasha nodded. He looked around the room. "Where's Miroku?" He saw Sango's blush, and he immediately knew.

"Damned pervert groped me," Sango said, flushing furiously red. "I kind of… slapped him. He apologized and said he would get some—"

"Coffee!" Miroku announced, coming into the room, handling two cups of steaming coffee. He gave one cup to Sango, noting the demon cat purring on the bed as Sango petted her. Sango refused to look at Miroku. Miroku acted as if he didn't notice, grinning like the idiot he was.

Before Miroku could take a sip from his own cup, Inuyasha snatched it, taking a long sip.

"Thanks, partner. Didn't know you cared," Inuyasha drawled, grinning. Miroku gave him a dirty look.

"I don't. Now give me my coffee!" Inuyasha easily held off Miroku, drinking with his other hand. When Inuyasha was done, he threw the paper cup at Miroku, who caught it while pouting.

"You're such a beast. You _know _I can't function without my daily dose of caffeine!" Miroku wailed. Inuyasha saw Sango's lopsided smile, and relaxed a little more. It would take a lot more time and a lot more effort to make Sango heal, and he knew Sango would never be completely okay. No one would be, if they had to watch their family murdered by their own sibling. Still, during that time, she could learn to laugh again. He wondered who would be up to the job. He glanced at Miroku, who was pretending to be crying over his empty Styrofoam cup.

Nah.

"Thanks," Sango said softly from the bed, rubbing Kirara's belly. "For getting Kirara."

"Duty called," Inuyasha replied, a little embarrassed. "Keh. All you weak humans need so much defending." Even as the words left his mouth, he wanted to stab himself. He saw Sango stiffen, and he mentally stabbed himself.

"Keh." Inuyasha looked away. "I'm gonna leave now. Kirara, let's go." The cat rolled over and reluctantly left her melancholy mistress. Inuyasha deposited Kirara into his inside pocket again, and ignored Miroku's dirty look.

He went outside, closing the door behind him. Feeling as if he was spying but not really caring, he swiveled his ears towards the door. "…how he shows he cares. Don't worry too much about what he says. That big-mouth will say anything to keep his bad boy persona intact."

"Not much of a person if you ask me," Sango said, and Inuyasha winced. "And he seemed so nice earlier…"

"No, really. He means well… He just… has a hard time showing it around people he doesn't really trust." Inuyasha turned his head away guiltily and started to walk away. He didn't want to hear that about himself. He _was _tough, dammit.

When he got home, he tossed Miroku's keys on the counter, and let Kirara roam around. The cat demon walked around each room, determining its smells and making sure it knew its way around.

"No piddling in the house. I'll lay out some newspapers if you _really _need to go, but you scratch on the door if you need to go." Kirara mewed indignantly at this, as if she was being reduced to the status of a mere house pet. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Accidents happen." Kirara ignored this statement, continuing her search through the house.

Inuyasha made some lunch/dinner, and settled on his couch. Just as he propped his feet up on the coffee table, his doorbell rang. Groaning, he got up. "What now?" He opened the door, and was absolutely floored. Speechless, he gaped at Kagome

Kagome was in a black, halter dress that showed off her body in a way that he thought should have been illegal. She also had a simple silver necklace with a pendant that hung between her breasts. "Um…" She hesitated. "I thought… Okay, never mind." Flushing furiously with embarrassment, she turned around. Inuyasha quickly grabbed her arm, reeling her around, since he knew why she was so embarrassed. He should have been the one to be embarrassed, forgetting as he did that they were supposed to go on a date that night.

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha said emphatically, his eyes trying their best not to rove over her figure in a completely inappropriate manner. "I forgot that we had a date tonight." It was the wrong thing to say. Kagome grit her teeth, and stiffened further, if that was possible.

"Yes, I could tell. So I'll just go back home and—"

"No, you don't understand… I had a long day, and now I have to look over Kirara, and—"

"Who?" Kagome was frowning. Kagome shrieked when she felt something against her foot, jumping nearly two feet into the air. "What the—What?" Kagome looked down and saw the large, cat eyes peering up at her, with the two tails waving. "You… You got a pet?" Kagome asked incredulously.

Inuyasha scoffed. "No, I'm taking care of her for a witness. For a victim," Inuyasha amended. "I retrieved her today." His eyes went over her figure once before returning to her face. Kagome could tell that the fire in Inuyasha's eyes was not merely admiration. "You can't imagine how _sorry_ I am to have forgotten."

"Uh… It's all right," Kagome said, sighing and tugging on her hair. She _had _put a lot of effort into her image today, since she had been planning to floor Inuyasha. She wanted to see him with his mouth hanging open and his tongue hanging out. She hadn't expected to feel the familiar fire in the pit of her stomach in response to his blatant interest.

"Listen, I'll feed Kirara, and I'll take you out. What do you say?"

"Well, I suppose we could. Or this would have gone to waste," Kagome stated mildly, gesturing towards herself.

"It sure would have," Inuyasha muttered. "Okay, make yourself at home. I'm just going to grab a quick shower, and we'll be on our way." He opened a can of tuna. He would have to go to the pet store tomorrow and get some items. Kirara looked at the open can distastefully, but daintily started to eat it.

Kagome watched Inuyasha disappear into his bedroom, where he would go into the bathroom and undoubtedly take his short shower. Kagome struggled to keep her mind away from Inuyasha under the spray of hot water…

Oh dear. She put a palm to one of her warm cheeks, pouting a little, since she knew she was blushing. She gave a start when Kirara jumped into her lap, but she obligingly pet the demon cat. Kirara purred, rolling its muscles underneath Kagome's hand.

"What do _you _think?" Kagome asked the purring cat. "Do you think I should bolt for the door, or stick this one out?" Kirara opened one eye, fixed it on Kagome and meowed. Kagome smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I should choose for myself."

"I sure hope you're gonna stick it out, since I am," Inuyasha said as he came out of his room. Kagome jumped up, not paying any more mind to the displeased cat that had been dumped onto the floor.

"Uh… Yeah… Well, we'll have to see, won't we?" Kagome cleared her throat, wrapping her dignity back around her like a cloak. Inuyasha grinned. Wearing a simple pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a jacket to go over it, he nearly had Kagome gulping with nerves. "That was a quick shower," Kagome stated. It couldn't have been more than five minutes.

"Well, I _did _say I was going to take a quick shower, didn't I?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome frowned.

"Yeah, but I thought… Are you sure you're clean?"

"Are you doubting my hygiene?"

"Well, I have to admit… Yeah." She was sharply pulled off of the chair she had been sitting on, and she could smell his shampoo and soap.

"Smell me then," Inuyasha said huskily, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her hips. Kagome fought to keep her mind on track.

"You smell clean," she said in an embarrassingly squeaky voice. Inuyasha leaned in closer, burying his own nose into her hair.

"Are you sure?" he murmured, pressing himself to her. Kagome, trying not to close her eyes, took up his offer and inhaled deeply. She lost the battle and her eyes closed completely as she let her senses take over. She seemed to be unaware of her hands slipping under Inuyasha's jacket and shirt to find the still-damp skin of his back. She felt his quick shiver, and felt herself suddenly being lifted against him to come fully against—

Wow. That definitely wasn't normal. Or was it? Was it supposed to feel so _big_? Kagome wondered. All thoughts flew from her head as Inuyasha's mouth descended onto hers. She opened her mouth for him, and he certainly took advantage of it. Unlike the poetic kiss of that morning, this one was hard, possessing, demanding. She reveled in it, barely registered his hands as they cupped her bottom so she could feel him fully. Groaning into his mouth, Kagome thought she would die in his arms tonight. She would have been happy to, and that was the scary part.

It was of his own free will when he pulled away from her with a tortured moan, Kagome thought deliriously as he put her away from himself. Unable to resist, she leaned towards him again, her lids heavy over her eyes. She was disappointed when he merely brushed his lips over hers and set her away again.

"I need to… to… take you out to eat," Inuyasha murmured, obviously having difficulty forming the words in his head. Thank goodness. She would have been embarrassed if she was the only one being retarded.

"Yeah…" was Kagome's only response. Inuyasha was refusing to look at her, which was something that made her insecure and hesitant. They had come close to wild monkey sex in his home, but he had pushed away the opportunity when she was obviously willing and ready.

He obviously didn't want her, despite his body's reactions.

Pulling on a brave face, Kagome decided she would be the bigger man and deal with it maturely: She would ignore it and pretend as if nothing happened.

"Okay… Let's go," Inuyasha said, grabbing his keys and moving out the door, not even waiting for her. Seething inside and annoyed by his awkward but carefree behavior, she grunted and followed him. Oh, she would show him what he was missing. By the end of the night, he would be begging for mercy. She would guarantee it.

Of course, first she had to figure out how.

* * *

**wk**: (Chuckles) I like how I ended it. Kagome's gotta figure out how to seduce Inuyasha by the time the night's over, because, as usual, she drew the wrong conclusion from his withdrawal. Will she be able to do it? 

**_ReViEw oF rEvIeWs_**

Sorry you feel that way, **Molten Larvitar**. Unfortunately, I don't have the same opinion. Thanks you for yours, however. The only regrettable thing I can tell you is that the story was saved onto my hardrive, and a virus wiped it out. Otherwise I would have reposted it for those who wanted it a long time ago. Sorry!

Well, **Jamie**, I'm quite intrigued by that idea, actually. Should I have Kagome and Sango already know each other? Hm... We'll see.

I like your new name, **Photographing Poetry**!

Honestly, I loved your review,** chakitattyla2h8**. I'll try to take your constructive criticism into account. I'm glad you till like my story, and I'll try to do as you suggested. Hopefully, this chapter was better.

**wk**: All right! That's it. Now all you have to do is wait for the next chapter... Hopefully, it won't take nearly half a year for me to update this time. (Grins sheepishly) Sorry for the long wait again!


	6. Pleasantly Drunk

**wk**: I know! I know! I said I would update more often, but apparently, school has not given me the chance to... (Sighs) I'm SO sorry! But you guys _finally _have an update! Yay!

**Chapter Six  
Pleasantly Drunk**

Kagome sipped her wine. Inuyasha had taken her to an expensive restaurant, as an obvious apology for his bad memory. And she had already agreed to let him pay for the meal. Feeling grumpy, she tipped back the rest of the glass. She was feeling a little tipsy, but what did that matter? She was sexually frustrated, and the object of her lust was pointedly ignoring her attempts to seduce him.

Playing footsie hadn't worked. She had rubbed her foot against his calf, but all he had done was move his leg back so she couldn't reach it, acting outwardly as if she hadn't done anything. She had dipped her finger into her wine, and then tapped that finger against her tongue, trying to look like a temptress. Fat load of good _that_ did when his eyes were everywhere but on her. She had even tried to toy with his fingers, but he had moved his hand on top of hers to still it.

She was getting to the point where she was considering lunging across the table to get to him. She obviously wasn't that attractive, if she couldn't even hold his attentions. Feeling dejected, and no longer as sexually frustrated, she poured herself another glass.

"Hey, you shouldn't drink so much," Inuyasha warned. Kagome glared at him, a challenge in her eyes as she tipped the glass back to drain it.

"What do _you _care," she hissed, putting the glass back down. Their food came out, and Kagome poked at her food, watching Inuyasha eat heartily. He frowned when he didn't see her eat.

"I thought you were hungry?"

"Hungry as a hippo," Kagome drawled, forking up some peas to her mouth and pretending as if it was the best food she had ever eaten. "Mm! So yummy!"

Inuyasha's frown deepened. She was, obviously, very angry with him. He didn't understand why. Actually, he would probably understand her more if she tried to speak Spanish or French to him. His brain was, at the moment, mush. After all the tactics she had pulled through the course of the night, he was very desperate for a cold shower. His cerebral functions had halted, and all he could think about was peeling that delectable dress off her equally, if not more, delectable body.

She had stopped with her advances, something he was incredibly grateful for, because he wanted to wait until they had returned home to make love to her. If she had kept up her damn vixenish ways, he wouldn't have waited until they even reached his car. Well, he would at least get _to _the car, but that was doubtful. Perhaps the restroom…

Thinking about having sex with Kagome was not helping his situation.

Kagome poured yet _another _glass of wine. Inuyasha wondered how much alcohol the girl could take. She was getting tipsy, he could tell, but the alcohol would catch up fast and he would end up taking care of her drunken ass the whole night.

"Kagome, stop drinking," Inuyasha ordered, taking away the bottle from her. Kagome snarled, rising out of her chair to try to take it back. "Kagome, stop! Eat your food, and I'll let you have it back." It was a lie, but to a drunk Kagome, it was a deal.

"Fine!" she said, eating her food silently, glowering at him the entire time. When she was done, she held out her hand and looked at him expectantly. "Gimme." Inuyasha nearly snorted. What the hell was she? A child?

"One more glass, then it's gone," Inuyasha compromised. Kagome pouted, but didn't really say anything, swaying a bit in her seat. Inuyasha poured her the glass, and Kagome immediately drank it down. She slammed it back down on the table, and other patrons turned around to see what had made that noise. Kagome gave a very delicate burp, and laughed.

"Oopsie. Okay. It's time to go. Where's the cashier?" she asked, standing. Inuyasha quickly stood to steady her. Sliding an arm around her waist, he held her against him.

"I'm paying, remember?" Inuyasha said, leading her away from the table after leaving a few bills on it.

Kagome frowned. "No. I don't remember… Wait, yes I do! You're my sexy neighbor!"

Inuyasha grinned. "Yeah, I'm your sexy neighbor. Come on, then. Let's go home." He paid for their meal, and practically dragged Kagome outside. When the night air hit Kagome, she seemed to come to some of her senses.

"No! I'm not going home with you! You don't want to have sex with me!" she pouted. Inuyasha gaped at her.

"Not want to… What?"

"You've been ignoring me the whole night! You're a… a… jerk!" Kagome slurred, twisting out of his grasp to weave her way to his car. Inuyasha quickly caught up to her, murmuring an apology to a passing couple that she nearly mowed down. "No…" she moaned. "Don't touch me. I don't want someone who doesn't want me…"

"Kagome, I want you so bad it hurts," Inuyasha muttered, opening his car door and depositing the drunken girl inside.

"Then why did you ignore me?" she wailed. "Aren't I pretty?" Inuyasha closed the door and went to his side of the door. He started the engine, wincing as he saw her tears. "I'm not pretty!"

"Kagome, you're fucking gorgeous, so stop crying!" Inuyasha snapped, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Then why don't you like me? Am I too… aggressive? That's what Kouga said. He said I'm too aggressive sometimes. He said no one else but him would ever love me because I'm—"

"Don't compare me to that fucking wolf," Inuyasha growled. "I don't care if you're drunk. Don't do it." Kagome blinked.

"I wasn't." Kagome leaned in close, her torso pressing into his arm. Inuyasha hoped enough of his melting brain was left for concentrating on the road. "I like you. Sometimes, I think a lot. But sometimes, you just make me so _mad!_" Kagome pouted, her face falling to his shoulder. "Am I drunk?"

"Well, considering you drank nearly the whole bottle of wine, yeah, I'd think you're very drunk."

Kagome laughed. "I've never been drunk before. What a weird feeling. So dizzy." Kagome lurched back to sit in her own seat. "I forget what we were talking about."

Inuyasha figured this was a good chance to find out her innermost secrets. It was dirty, but hey, he had warned her to stop drinking.

"What are your deepest, darkest secrets?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome screwed up her nose in what he thought was an adorable way.

"I'm not stupid! You just want to know stuff like how I was lonely when I was a kid. And how my Dad passed away when I was little… and how I really want to have sex with you. Not nice sex either. I wanted hot and sweaty, but you pushed me away." Kagome paused. "See? You don't know that stuff about me. I'm a locked vault."

"Airtight," Inuyasha said wryly, his tone a bit strained after her confession about wanting to have sex with him. "Do you…" Inuyasha hesitated.

"Do I what?"

"Did you ever love Kouga?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome hiccupped, and considered the question.

"I guess, I might have, at one point in time." Inuyasha's heart fell, although he couldn't figure out why. "But it wasn't passionate, romantic love. Just like I would love a cousin maybe." Inuyasha snorted.

"He wasn't a very good lover," Kagome whispered, and Inuyasha gave a startled laugh. "I mean, he was okay. He pleasured me, but sometimes it was too short, or… I don't know. It didn't have that special oomph."

"Special what?" Inuyasha asked.

"Special oomph!" Kagome reiterated, annoyed. She rolled her eyes, as if Inuyasha should know automatically what she was talking about. Her right hand groped around until it found the adjuster for the seat. It lurched back and she was lying down. "I go to sleep now. Good night."

Inuyasha sighed when her soft snores filled the small enclosing of the car. "What a stupid chit," he muttered fondly, looking down at her as he pulled into their neighborhood. As much as he hated hearing about Kouga making love to Kagome, he was glad to find out she didn't really like it.

He would be damned if she didn't like _his_ lovemaking. When she was sober and thinking straight, any memory of Kouga would be wiped away from her mind.

As he pulled up, Kagome awoke abruptly. "No! No cheese!" Inuyasha looked at her strangely, and Kagome looked at him with bleary eyes. "Ugh. Why are your eyes so hot? They're burning me…" She shuddered.

"Then why are you shivering?" he asked. Kagome seemed to think about this question long and hard.

"Um… I dunnoo… _You _tell _me_, loverboy." She laughed. "Loverboy. It sounds so funny!" Kagome then sighed as if she had just enjoyed the best laugh in years. "So, tell me, Inuyasha…"

"Tell you what?"

"Am I drunk?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah, I'd say you are. You weren't supposed to get drunk off of wine, though, sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart. It sounds too… icky. Like you _love _me or something." Her chin was on his shoulder. Inuyasha nearly sent them into a tree, since he had jerked, but quickly righted the car and parked it in his driveway. He took the key out of the ignition.

"Ha! Like I would love an impertinent wench like you," Inuyasha murmured, pushing her face off of his shoulder so that she careened back into her seat. Frowning, she waggled her finger at him.

"That wasn't nice! So what do you want with me? Sex?" Kagome whispered, her eyes narrowing into slits as her lips pursed into a mocking, thin line.

Inuyasha didn't answer. What _did _he want with her? Yes, he wanted sex. But each time he talked to her, he found he genuinely wanted to find out _more_. What made her laugh? What made her smile? What made her sad?

He was getting too close. Dammit, _she _was getting too close.

Inuyasha got out of the car, took a deep breath. He cursed as he thought he could still smell little tendrils of vanilla around him.

This was getting out of control. Getting angry with her, at himself, he strode around to her side of the car, cursing again as it started to rain. "Dammit!" He quickly opened the door, and pulled Kagome out by her arm.

"Ow! That hurts!" Kagome blinked, frowning up at the sky. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Her eyeliner was running, her forehead was scrunched up, and she was frowning at him now.

"Kagome, it's just rain," Inuyasha said, pulling her along to his house, sighing when she stumbled several times. He picked her up, and she went limp against him, sighing as she wound her arms around him in her drunken stupor.

"It's raining," she whispered. Inuyasha felt his skin tingle where her lips were.

"Yeah," he said gruffly, awkwardly opening his door and entering. There, he unceremoniously dumped Kagome on the floor.

"Owww!" she cried out, but automatically slumped to the floor. Inuyasha felt a pang of concern, but that was quickly washed away by her snort of laughter.

"I sound like _such _a little girl," Kagome laughed. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, taking off his wet jacket. Kagome sat up. She pursed her lips in thought as Inuyasha moved into the bedroom. She got up, staggered, and followed. She was treated to a sight she wouldn't remember: Inuyasha had gotten rid of his wet shirt. Kagome watched, dry-mouthed, as he pulled out a dry T-shirt. He didn't put it on, but instead just held it in his hand. He pulled another shirt out, and turned, tossing it to her.

Kagome pulled the T-shirt from her head, where it had landed. "You knew I was here?" she asked. Inuyasha grunted.

"Of course I did, stupid girl. I could smell you from a mile away."

"Are you saying I smell bad?"

"Yeah."

"Hm… Well, I guess I could use a shower…" Kagome slumped on the floor again, unable to hold herself up.

"Put that shirt on. I'm going to take a shower." Inuyasha didn't wait for a reply. He grabbed some more articles of clothing out, and a towel, and headed for his bathroom. He went into the shower, unaware that Kagome was planning something outside of the door.

* * *

Kagome blinked several times as she stumbled to his dresser. She didn't want a regular T-shirt! She took a hair tie and put her hair up into a bun. Then, finding what she wanted, she fell onto the floor, bringing the cloth to her nose to take a sniff. She laughed, almost hysterically, at her situation. Boy, this whole seducing thing was actually kind of fun. Now that her inhibitions were just as drunk as she was, she was ready to rumble! Or tumble.

"Whatever," she muttered, peeling off her wet dress.

* * *

Inuyasha brushed his teeth, then put on his sleeping clothes: Boxers and a T-shirt. Yawning, he put his dirty clothes in the hamper. Muttering about taking care of a drunk girl, he opened his bathroom door.

And nearly passed out from all his blood concentrating in just one area. And it wasn't his brain.

"W-what… Kagome?" he stammered. Kagome was on her knees on his bed, with his reading glasses. That wasn't it. Instead of the T-shirt he had tossed at her, she had pulled out a formal, button-up shirt. And, he noticed while he was looking at the clothes she had discarded, that she wasn't wearing a bra. He swallowed. Hard.

"So," Kagome slurred. "Seeing as I haven't managed to… uh… What's the word? Oh yes… _Seduce _you earlier, I decided I would make up for lost time." She threw out her arms in a gesture of _look at me_. "So? What do you think?"

Inuyasha swore. Avidly. Viciously. Kagome frowned. "Is that a good thing? And I would appreciate it if you would stand still. I don't like the spinning." she asked, confused. Kagome leaned over to his nightstand, and that's when he noticed the wine glass in her left hand. The sneak had gotten more alcohol!

"Let's have a drink, shall we?" Kagome chuckled. Inuyasha was there in an instant, taking both the alcohol and the glass away from her. She whined, as if she was a baby looking for her bottle.

"Kagome! Stop! You've had enough!" Inuyasha said through gritted teeth. Kagome immediately looked contrite, her hands falling into her lap.

"Are you mad at me now?" Kagome asked, her lips pouty. Inuyasha could only take so much. He put the glass and the alcohol on the desk in his room.

"No!" he hissed out, going to the far wall, and banging his forehead on it.

"Inuyasha… Are you all right?" Kagome called hesitantly. Before he could answer, he heard a _thump_. He turned around, and saw that Kagome had fallen off the bed. There, lying on the floor with her panties in view, Kagome just began to cry. Inuyasha groaned.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asked his ceiling, asking for Divine guidance in this matter. Seeing as an immediate answer was not provided, he moved to help Kagome sit up.

He immediately regretted doing so as Kagome murmured, "Inuyasha… I don't feel so good…"

He thought he had never moved faster, hauling her into his bathroom, and barely making it to the toilet in time. He snatched off his glasses off her face, and laid them on the counter. He stood there, trying to ignore the sounds of her retching, and when he thought she was done, flushed the toilet for her. The smells nearly made _him _sick as well.

"I told you to stop drinking," Inuyasha said.

"Ugh," was Kagome's intelligent reply.

Sighing, he went to the kitchen to fix her a glass of water. When he came back, Kagome was still lying on the toilet.

"That doesn't feel _half _as good as _being _drunk," Kagome muttered. Inuyasha snorted.

"Brush your teeth, and drink a lot of water before sleeping." Inuyasha held her up around her waist as she obeyed. He tried not to think about what she had on—a valiant effort he thought—and helped her rinse out her mouth. He even washed her face for her, wiping away the last traces of her eyeliner. He handed her the glass of water, rolling his eyes as she just stared at it thoughtfully. He took over, tipping it to her mouth.

She drank and drank, until there wasn't a drop of water left.

"Thatta girl," Inuyasha murmured, carrying her to his bed. When the hell did he become her mother?

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered tiredly.

"Hn," he grunted as he laid her on the bed. He took out her bun, and just to indulge himself, spread out her hair on his pillow. Lust hit him. Hard. It had not been a smart move on his part, considering it was hard enough having to sleep next to her while she was like… like _that_.

"Are we going to have sex now?" she asked, looking up at him imploringly. Inuyasha coughed.

"Wow. Is that all you want?" Inuyasha asked, and Kagome shook her head.

"No, but isn't that all _you _want?" Her question stopped him cold, but he grit his teeth and covered her with the sheet. He was beginning to think it wasn't. And _that _was a troubling thought.

"No," he snapped.

Kagome sighed. "You confuse me. Just tell me what you want."

"I'll tell you when I find out. Now go to sleep."

"I don't want to."

"And why not?"

"I don't feel so good…"

"Oh for the love of—No! Not on the bed!"

* * *

Kagome awoke slowly, a fierce headache pounding behind her tightly closed eyes. She gave a groan, and froze when her mattress _shifted_. She automatically knew who it was. She could smell his scent. Especially from such _close _proximities. She knew if she opened her eyes, the world would be spinning.

She supposed she had two options. Pretend like she didn't wake up and go back to sleep—or pretend to, anyway—or she could demand to know what they had done last night. She wasn't feeling _sore _or anything like that in any of her… feminine spots. Unless… Was he a bad lover?

Kagome blushed at the way her thoughts were going. She decided she would wait until he would leave (he had to leave the house some time, right?). When he shifted again, she quickly closed her eyes and snuggled in. Hey, no one said she couldn't enjoy it, either.

* * *

Inuyasha watched the girl's lip twitch as she undoubtedly thought of something amusing. He rolled his eyes. Did she honestly think he was still sleeping? It was like… One in the afternoon. He had already called in at work, saying he was sick. And he didn't need to call in for Kagome, seeing as it was now Saturday. He thought she would open her eyes if he moved, but she hadn't done so. When she burrowed herself deeper into him, the thought that she might actually be _enjoying _their closeness crossed his mind.

So, he figured, what the hell. He would enjoy it too. He used the arm around her waist to haul her up. She squeaked, her hands fisting themselves at the top of his shoulders as he brought her head up to rest under his chin. He breathed in deeply, wondering if the smell of vanilla would be imprinted on his sheets from now on. And on himself, now that he thought about it. Damn wench had been all over him during the night. She had been restless, waking him up countless times.

After the second time she had thrown up, he made her brush her teeth again, and made her drink another glass of water.

He had felt as if he had a sexy two-year old under his roof. Even now, she was still in the shirt she had stolen from him, and her lace panties.

Okay, thinking of her panties were definitely not helping him stay platonic. Especially with the object of his desires lying on top of him. He made sure his hand was above her waist.

"I-Inuyasha, are you awake?" Kagome asked hesitantly, her hand coming down to fist in his shirt. Inuyasha sighed.

"Yeah?"

"What… What happened last night?"

"Do you remember any of it?"

"No…" Inuyasha grinned.

"We had sex like bunny rabbits, Slim. Especially since you seduced me with that shirt and panties. Of course, I took the heels off because they were digging into my back when you had your legs wrapped around—"

Kagome gave an undignified snort of laughter. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you laughing at?"

"If _we _had sex like bunnies, then I must not have felt a _thing_. I must have slept through it!" she laughed. Inuyasha growled, and rolled, making sure she landed on her back underneath him. Her legs automatically spread and he was in between them, leaning down and sniffing delicately at the juncture of her neck.

"Listen, _Slim_. If I _had _had sex with you last night, you would definitely be feeling it this morning, and you wouldn't have been able to sleep through it," he growled. Kagome grinned impishly back at him, her headache forgotten as she curled her hands at his sides.

"Are you _sure_?" Kagome asked.

"Is that a _challenge_?" Inuyasha retorted. Kagome shrugged.

"I don't know. Is it? Because if we really _did _have sex last night—"

"Okay! Geez, stubborn little brat. We didn't have sex." Kagome gave a smug, triumphant smile.

"See? All you needed to do was admit. And really, Inuyasha… making up stuff about my outfit…"

Inuyasha looked down at her with such amusement that Kagome began to feel unease uncoiling from the pit of her stomach.

"Why don't you look at what you're wearing, Slim?" Inuyasha asked, grinning. Kagome looked down at herself, and shrieked. She pushed him off of her while he was laughing, and immediately went to his dresser. She took out a pair of jogging pants, and quickly donned them. She folded up the hem of her pants to her knees. Then, she took the discarded T-shirt she had refused for the button-up shirt from the floor, and went to the bathroom to change into it.

"Dammit, Inuyasha! You could have told me sooner!" Kagome yelled from the bathroom. "Ugh… I feel sick," she added.

"If you're going to throw up, stay in there," Inuyasha said lazily. Hangovers were just great.

"I don't wanna throw up. But I have this burning feeling in my stomach…" Kagome said, reappearing as the door opened. She staggered her way back to the bed, and collapsed onto it, face down. There was a mew at the bedroom door, and scratching noises.

"Shit. I'm going to get arrested for neglecting animals." Inuyasha rose from the bed, despite the temptation to stay there next to Kagome.

The mew came again, and Inuyasha sighed as he opened the door. "All right, kitty cat. Let's get you something to eat." He looked in his cupboards, and found another can of tuna. "Sorry, Kirara. This is all I have for you right now. I promise I'll go shopping today."

The disgruntled cat merely glowered at him, and he flinched. "I promise!" he repeated. Kirara seemed to give in, going to the can with an air of distaste.

"Of all the animals I had to watch, it had to be a demon cat," Inuyasha muttered, returning to the bedroom. Kagome was moaning into his pillow, apparently not feeling her best. She felt the mattress sink in as he sat on the bed beside her. Her moans increased in frequency and in volume.

"Are those sounds you're making desperate pleas for Tylenol?" he teased. She nodded, continuing her moaning. Inuyasha sighed. "A bitch like you is so not worth the trouble," he murmured. Kagome lifted her head to shoot him a dark glare, but the head instantly dropped again into his pillow.

"It spins…" she murmured.

He went back into the kitchen, getting a glass of water and two white pills. When he returned, she was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. She glanced at him.

"Aren't you going to brush your teeth?" she asked around a mouthful of foam. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "It's almost two, maybe two-thirty in the afternoon. I brushed my teeth when I woke up this morning."

"But you were in bed with me when I woke up," Kagome said.

"Yeah, I just wanted to lie down, but you attached yourself to me like a limpet. I knew I was _irresistible_, but boy, you sure proved that theory to be correct."

Kagome spit out excess toothpaste and scoffed at him. "Right. And we didn't even have sex when you had so many chances last night. _So _irresistible."

"Hey! I was doing the _honorable _thing! I can't take advantage of a drunken chit like you," Inuyasha growled. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Right." She sighed. "Apparently, this is going nowhere. Even when I _want _you to have sex with me, you deny me." She rinsed out her mouth. "Tell me, Inuyasha. Am I _that _unattractive, or are you gay?"

Inuyasha nearly choked. "Gay?" He laughed. "Honey, I am _so _not gay."

"Yeah. Sure you're not." She pretended as if she had tears in her eyes. Inuyasha narrowed his. The stupid girl _knew _he wasn't. She was just trying to bait him, that stupid—! "I'll just have to shack up with someone else then. Pity. Maybe Kouga will get the job done."

She tried to push past him, but he blocked the doorway, deterring her from going into his bedroom.

"So let me get this straight. You've been _wanting _to have sex with me? And don't even think about going to that wolf shit. I already know you don't like him anyways," Inuyasha said smugly. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Well, _duh_, but…" Real annoyance lit her eyes. "Since you obviously don't find me attractive, and I repulse you, I can see that it's not going to happen."

Inuyasha gaped at her. She _really_ believed that he thought she was not sexy? Anger rose up in him. He didn't know why he was angry. Probably because she didn't know the effect she had on him.

He caught her around the waist as she tried to duck under his arm. He practically threw her against the doorframe. His face was in her hair, and he was inhaling deeply. Kagome, strangely, remained impassive. He looked down at her, and found that she looked _bored_. "Kagome," he growled.

"Don't take that tone with me," she snapped, then leaned her head against the doorframe. "I don't like hangovers," she muttered.

"It'll go away in a few hours. Kagome…" Inuyasha stroked his hands down her arms, using his claws to lightly trace a line down her slender limbs. Kagome, despite trying to look as if she was too mature for him, shivered. Inuyasha's face lit up with a grin of triumph. He nipped her lip, and she yelped, glaring at him, but even the glare went away as he returned to kiss her deeply. She made a humming noise that he felt to the bottom of his toes.

Kagome languidly wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him closer, if that was possible. The man had her up against the doorframe, and had plastered himself onto her. When he pulled away, Kagome's mouth nipped his chin and kissed his throat before moving back. Her eyes were unfocused, and her lips swollen. Inuyasha groaned and leaned in again. Her taste was more potent than any drug, and he kept returning for more, until his body was reacting without his knowing. He had picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist, and he was moving towards the bed. He tried to reign in some control, but he felt that control shredding slowly. Actually, scratch that. That control was shredding—FAST.

Kagome had no idea what was going on. The dizziness she felt with her hangover was being replaced by dizziness from his scent. "Inuyasha," she whispered. "Please." She was a bit confused at her own plea, since she had no idea what she was begging for.

"Please what?" Inuyasha murmured, his hand trailing down her leg to her calf. There he traced small patterns, and he listened with rapt attention to the small noises she made in her throat. They almost sounded like whimpers, or little mews. His ears twitched continuously, which Kagome noticed. Her hand came up to rub one ear, and he groaned. Inuyasha's hands came up to slide under her shirt and rest on her stomach.

Kagome arched her body as his claw dragged down to the waist of her pants. Then, his hands went back up while her body was still arched and quickly took her shirt off. Kagome felt the cool air against her body and stilled. She blinked at him, and although the ardor she had been feeling had not cooled, she immediately became embarrassed as she remembered she wasn't wearing her bra. Her arm came up, but he stopped her with his hands.

"This might sound cheesy," he said hoarsely, "but you're absolutely beautiful." He gave her a quick kiss, and it had her humming, and his head bent…

"Inuyasha I'm not ready!" Kagome squeaked, her arms tearing themselves from his grip and coming up to cover herself. He reeled back, his hand coming up to his face to rub across it harshly.

"Kagome!" he grit out angrily. "You just said you wanted to have sex with me!" Inuyasha growled out. Kagome grabbed his shirt off the floor and donned it.

"Well… I don't…" How could she explain that she had become afraid when he had looked at her so intensely? "I can't…"

Inuyasha was suddenly there, and she blinked quickly in surprise. "For knowing for certain that you're not ready, you sure can't think of any reasons," Inuyasha bit out.

"Dammit Inuyasha! Don't push me!" Kagome growled. Inuyasha bit back an oath and walked out of the room. Kagome felt guilty. He was, apparently, ready for some hot, wild sex. She was too, but…

She followed Inuyasha out, her arms wrapped around herself, a surefire sign of her insecurity. What she felt for him was out of the norm. The passion that had ignited in her had scared her. Never had she felt that way with Kouga. Ever.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry," she said, her voice a whisper. Inuyasha turned to look at her, and to her surprise, he gave her a pained smile.

"No. Don't let me pressure you into anything you don't want to do," Inuyasha said firmly. Kagome pouted.

"Inuyasha, it's not that I don't want to. It's just that… Oh! I can't explain it!" With the last part of her exclamation, she strode over to him, yanked him down by his hair, and kissed him. He immediately reciprocated, acting before his mind could protest.

Still, when his mind caught up (A good minute or two later), he called a halt to it by pulling back. "Kagome, you're confusing me. You're gonna _have _to explain it, because once it goes too far… There's no turning back."

Kagome bit her lip. "I don't want to explain it," she said stubbornly. And just when her lips claimed his again, his doorbell rang. They both tried to ignore it, but a loud banging on it had Inuyasha pulling away.

"If I have to repaint that door—!" He strode to the door and unlocked it before yanking it open and an unpleasant stench stung his nose. "Dammit!" He tried to close the door, but a foot shot through the crack to stop the progress.

"You son of a bitch!" Kouga snarled, his eyes bloodshot. He glanced at Kagome, who was surveying the scene with interest and with a healthy amount of trepidation. You took advantage of her! I can smell your stench on her from all the way over here!"

Kagome quickly moved to placate him. "Kouga, we didn't—"

"Shut up, bitch!" Kouga snarled. "I gave up my job, my life… Just so I could come here and woo you back. But I see you're nothing but a whore—" A punch in his face had him wheeling back from the door, but instead of closing it, Inuyasha opened it so he could go through and follow the wolf-demon outside.

"You might be drunk, but I won't let you talk about her like that!" Inuyasha snarled. Kagome ran out behind him, her lips thin from strain.

Kouga cursed, blood coursing freely from his nose. "You motherfucker… Did you think I wouldn't find out? She was supposed to be _mine_!" Kouga snarled. He turned to Kagome. "Maybe it's a good thing you ran off to this half-breed shit. So was the fuck good? Did he give it to you as good as—"

Before Inuyasha could move to strike him again, Kagome was there, and she slapped Kouga across the face hard.

"Leave, Kouga. You're not in your right mind. If you say one more bad thing about Inuyasha or me, then I'll have to ask you to leave my house."

Kouga scoffed at her threat. Then, he spat at Kagome's feet, which made Inuyasha surge forward. Inuyasha had Kouga by his shirt, up in the air. Kouga just smirked down at Inuyasha. A kick to the side of the head had Inuyasha flying. Kagome gasped and moved to go towards him, but Kouga held her back with a hand at her arm.

"Let me go, Kouga!" Kagome hissed, her eyes blazing with anger. "I definitely don't want to deal with you right now."

Kouga, in his drunken state, didn't seem to care what she wanted to deal with. Before she could react, he had her in his arms and was kissing her. She gagged when she tasted the alcohol, and tore her mouth away. Before she could do anything, Inuyasha was there, his rage palpable. He had his claws digging into Kouga's throat, and to Kagome's horror, blood was beginning to run down Kouga's neck. Instead of killing him however, Inuyasha punched him down. Inuyasha would have kicked him, but Kouga kicked out his legs, catching the side of Inuyasha's legs, and Inuyasha went down. Kouga then was on top of him, apparently about to beat the shit out of the hanyou.

Kagome, however, tackled Kouga. She landed on her back, and felt the impact jar her bones. As Kouga landed on top of her, his claws dug into her sides, drawing blood. However, adrenaline had her fighting back, oblivious to the pain that was blossoming. After just a second, however, Kouga was being lifted off of her, and he landed face down next to her.

"I am _so _not in the mood to deal with your shit! I should arrest you, you piece of shit!" Inuyasha bellowed. An elderly woman that had come out to her check her mail quickly scurried back inside.

Kouga struggled under Inuyasha.

Kagome knelt next to them, and said quietly, "Kouga-kun, please. You're not making me happy by doing this." At those words, Kouga stilled, and a great sigh escaped him.

"There's no chance anymore, is there? For you and me, I mean."

Kagome shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression."

"Then… Then I will leave tonight. No," he slurred quickly, watching Kagome open her mouth to speak. "I do not wish to stay here if there is no chance. I'll go and make myself into a better person so that when I come back, I can win you." He ignored Inuyasha's growl.

"Oy, this is the twenty-first century, you stupid shit. This isn't the medieval ages where you have to win a maiden's hand."

"Well, we'll just let her decide when I come back, won't we?" All of a sudden, he had thrown Inuyasha off of him, and was weaving back towards her house.

"I'll wait until I'm not drunk anymore, then I'll leave tonight. Thanks for letting me stay in the meanwhile. And Inuyasha," he addressed the cursing hanyou that was on the grass. "Take care of my woman until I'm back."

"You stupid, stinking low-life scum of—"

"Okay, then! Bye!" Kagome said cheerfully before pulling Inuyasha back, practically shoving him ahead of her and pushing him into the house.

"What the hell did you do that for? I'm going to teach him a lesson, and _you _can't stop me!" Inuyasha growled. Kagome had to use her whole weight while holding onto his shirt to deter him.

"He gave up! _You _give it up, too! I'm not some kind of meat prize that you win if you beat the other into a pulp!"

"I know you're not! But he _challenged _me!" Kagome threw up her hands at this.

"God! Men and testosterone was just the _wrong _combination!" Kagome snarled out.

Suddenly, to Kagome's complete chagrin and frustration, Inuyasha was gently leading her towards the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kagome growled. Inuyasha merely gave her a look, and Kagome rolled her eyes. "I can cuss right now. I have the right to."

"You're bleeding," he said, his voice a low rumble, and she could tell he was holding his anger in check.

"Oh…" Kagome looked down at her side, which was bleeding freely. "I forgot." As soon as she said this, it seemed as if the adrenaline rushed out of her body and pain took its place. "Oh, ow!" She grabbed her side, clamping her hand over her bloody T-shirt. "Ow, ow, ow, ow… I'm going to kill Kouga!"

"At least our sentiments are the same now," Inuyasha said dryly.

"Well, _I'm _not actually going to do it. You're a cop! You should be setting a good exam—" She eeped as he suddenly lifted her shirt over her head. "What are you doing!" she shrieked.

"I'm looking at the puncture wounds, what do you think I'm doing?" He poked and prodded at her, making her wiggle and scramble to get away from him. At this, he heaved an exasperated sigh and picked her up easily by the hips, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and deposited her on the counter. "Now hold still," Inuyasha said, reaching over to one of his cabinets to take out what looked suspiciously like—

"Ohmygawd. Don't come near me!" Kagome shrieked, fighting him to get off the counter. She didn't care if she was bleeding over the counter and that he held her steadfastly. He swore when she bit his shoulder, and not lightly. "If you put that rubbing alcohol anywhere near—" she screamed as a half-saturated cotton ball touched her wounds. She put her fist to her mouth and bit down on a knuckle.

"Sorry," Inuyasha said gruffly as he tried to clean it as quick as possible. "You need to get it clean. Some demons have poisons in their claws." He thought he heard her mutter a vicious curse word, but decided not to rib her about it. He then took out a first-aid kit, and got some bandages. He wrapped it around her, making sure it was secure before moving back to admire his own handiwork.

"Inuyasha, I'm going to kill you," Kagome panted from her position on the counter.

"What happened to killing Kouga?" Inuyasha asked, and his anger came back, now that Kagome was tended to. "If he fucking shows his face again—"

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. In the meanwhile, I _think _I can decide on my own who I like."

Inuyasha glanced at her. "So you like me?" he asked smugly, his hands going on either sides of her thighs, so that he was caging her legs on the counter and looking up at her. Kagome grinned and tweaked Inuyasha's nose.

"Not if your life depended on it. You're just lucky we got some chemistry," Kagome said. She pushed him away, hopping down lightly onto the floor. "Could I possibly borrow another shirt?" Kagome didn't wait for an answer. She walked into his room and pulled out another shirt from his dresser.

"Well, sure," Inuyasha said sarcastically as she pulled it over her head.

"I'll buy you a new shirt, since Kouga tore that one up." Inuyasha just shrugged.

"Keh. Whatever." Inuyasha put his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, let's go grocery shopping. If I don't go today, Kirara will turn me into kitty litter."

"Oh, okay. I need to buy some things for my house anyway." Kagome went to retrieve her purse.

"Are you going out like that?" he asked, indicating her overlarge T-shirt and his gym pants. Kagome shrugged.

"Why not? We're only going to the grocery store. Inuyasha, could you—"

Her words were cut off when he gently circled her waist with his hands, and kissed her. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you," Inuyasha rumbled. Kagome blinked away the haziness that settled over her when his lips touched hers.

"What?" she whispered. She didn't wait for an answer, and instead kissed him back.

"I'm also sorry that you thought I didn't want you. That will be remedied soon," he said when he broke away, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Kagome sighed. "So you say, but we'll see."

Inuyasha growled. "What do you mean we'll see?"

"Just that! We'll see!"

They argued all the way out to the car.

* * *

**wk**: To make up for my lack of updates, I made this chapter much longer than my usual. At least, it's a few pages longer than my usual, anyway. I will try to get the next update up soon! 


	7. Damsel in Distress

**Disclaimer**: I _wish _Inuyasha was mine. Unfortunately, he and his gang are not.

**wk**: Anyone notice I'm starting to update more regularly now? And I'm taking turns with the stories so that they'll _all _be updated more regularaly. Aren't you proud of me?

**Chapter Seven  
Damsel in Distress**

"Man, this sucks," Inuyasha grumbled.

"What does?"

"This whole thing sucks. Why do I gotta take care of this cat?" Inuyasha asked, uncharacteristically pouting.

"Kirara seems to like you fine," Kagome mentioned, looking at the way Kirara jumped onto his lap to be petted.

"As soon as this case is cracked, you're gone," Inuyasha mock growled. Kirara only gave a mew, and flicked her ears.

"She's so cute!" Kagome exclaimed, reaching for Kirara. She tickled Kirara's belly, and cooed at her.

"Why don't you ever talk to _me _like that?" Inuyasha asked. "All you ever do is yell at me."

"Oh, excuse me." Kagome cleared her throat and went over to sit on his lap. "How's my little puppy?" She rubbed the base of his ear, and he tried to look affronted, but merely tilted his head towards her hand. "Isn't my little puppy cute," she said in the disgusting baby-voice most adults used with their children.

"Oi, that's enough, bitch."

Kagome rolled her eyes and moved to get out of his lap. His arms snapped around her, however, holding her to him as if he was now the adult and she the child. Kirara, startled, jumped out of Kagome's lap, hissing. Inuyasha paid no mind, laying a kiss on Kagome's neck. "Kagome, it's not nice to tease someone," he whispered into her shoulder.

Kagome grinned back at him. "But it's so much fun!" She twisted out of his hold, and went to the kitchen.

"What do you want for dinner? I'll cook."

"Kagome…" Kagome looked back at him, winked.

"Tonight's a special occasion, isn't it?" Kagome asked, taking out some of the pasta they had bought that day.

"What's tonight?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome rolled her eyes as she turned on the stove. "Are you going to make love to me tonight? Yes or no?" She didn't hear an answer for a long while. "Inuyasha?"

"Why wait for tonight?" Inuyasha said from behind her, making her yelp and jump nearly a foot in the air.

"Don't _do _that!" Kagome hissed, returning to stirring the hot water to get it ready for the noodles. "We're waiting for tonight because right now I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry too," Inuyasha practically purred, moving aside her hair to nip at the nape of her neck.

"I'm hungry for food," Kagome specified, trying to push his distracting mouth away.

"So'm I," Inuyasha murmured, refusing to be deterred. He would dart away whenever her hand lashed out, but always hovered, occasionally caressing her fleetingly. By the time she had the food done, she was ready to eat and get under the covers. As annoyed and irritated as she was, she was also feeling _hot_. Very, very hot.

"Inuyasha, set the table please," Kagome said huskily, meeting his mouth for a brief moment, driving him nearly crazy.

"Uh, sure," he said, and moved to get the necessary items from the cabinets.

Kagome moved the food to the table, and they began to eat. Kagome refused to meet Inuyasha's eyes, knowing the smoldering look would make her burn faster and faster until she was just a pile of ashes at his feet.

"This is really good, considering I was doing my best to distract you," Inuyasha remarked. Kagome smiled.

"I try my best." The rest of dinner continued in silence, but she shifted in her seat uncomfortably many times, knowing his eyes were on her the whole time.

When Inuyasha was done, he cleared his plates and sat back down. He intently watched her eat. Every dart of the tongue, every flash of teeth, only further made him more aroused until he was gripping the edge of the table with controlled strength.

When she finally laid down her fork, he was there, picking up the plates and putting them in the sink. She was rising from the chair when he came back. "Don't worry about protection," she said. "I've got the patch a few days ago." He nodded. Before she had a chance to say anything else, he swept her off her feet, carrying her into the room and tossing her on the bed.

"Hey, wait a second! I need to go to my house for just a minute—"

"Nuh-uh. You're not getting away _that _easily," Inuyasha said, removing his shirt and grinning down at her.

"But—" He interrupted her, his mouth moving over hers with the intent to distract and destroy any stray thoughts that didn't concern him.

Kagome tried to push him away at first, but then became liquid in his arms. His blood boiling, he didn't have too much patience left. He was going to have her, right now, right here.

**(Limey, Lemonade-y... whatever)**

"I can't do slow this time, 'Gome," he gasped out, nipping her lip. She only nipped his lip back and moaned as his tongue teased hers. He eased her back, settling over her.

When they both came up for air, she replied, "I don't think I can do slow either." She quickly divested herself of his shirt, and her fingers went into his silver hair to try to hold him to her as he nipped the swell of her breast rising above her bra. His hand went under her to unsnap her bra, and she felt the loosening. He flung it away, not caring where it landed, only caring about her.

He paused in his attentions to fully drink her in, and she blushed. Not giving her time to think, he swooped down, took the peak of her breast in his mouth. She cried out, the fingers in his hair tugging, pulling, and scraping.

He loved the sound of his name on her lips, as if she was breathing life into him by just moaning his name. He whispered her name in return, as it was the only thing going through his brain. His fingers tugged at the sweatpants, and she lifted her hips to help him mindlessly. They were gone within seconds, off to join her bra somewhere in the room.

"Inuyasha," she gasped out, tugging at the ends of his hair when he paused again. If he stopped, she didn't think she could stand it. This wanting was nearly painful since it was so strong, but it would kill her if he stopped.

Then she felt his fingers at the waistband of her panties, and she opened her eyes to look at him. He was looking down at her, asking for permission. "Don't stop," she panted out, and her underwear was gone with a quick twist.

"Kagome, you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he murmured, his lips worshipping her navel, and his fingers tracing the square patch that would prevent her from having his pups. He was, strangely, disappointed by it, but he didn't dwell on the matter. Her scent was all around him, demanding that he take her _now_.

"Inuyasha, please," she whimpered. He came up, and kissed her softly on the lips.

"What do you want, baby?" Inuyasha asked, his lips brushing hers, once, twice.

Kagome, instead of answering, sat up and started working on the button of his jeans. He took over the job himself, getting rid of jeans and boxers in one sweep. Her eyes widened as she took him in, her startled gaze flying to his.

Instead of saying anything, he kissed her again, his hands holding her face in place while easing her back again, settling himself between her legs.

"What do you want, baby?" he repeated, fighting to hold himself still.

"Inuyasha," she gasped out.

"Answer my question," Inuyasha ground out, unable to stop himself from grinding against her. She gave a moan and a whimper, her hips undulating, trying to feel him.

"I want you!"

It was what he wanted to hear, and he entered her quickly. His tongue traced a shape on her shoulder, while she cried out and her hands went to his slick back. Her nails raked, leaving small, red welts on his back.

Both panting, he brought them quickly to the brink. When they went over, he fused his mouth to hers, swallowing the scream of his name, feeling her name vibrate through his whole being.

* * *

Kagome stretched like a lazy cat next to Inuyasha, smiling contentedly and giving him a satisfied look. He had his eyes closed, his hand fisted in her hair.

"I know you're awake, puppy," Kagome teased. He lifted an eyelid.

"Keh. Who's calling who puppy? I wasn't the one whimpering a while ago." He smiled in satisfaction at the blush that covered her face down to her chest. She hid her face against his chest, pouting.

"Inuyasha!" she whined. He chuckled.

"Mm. I feel great," Kagome said a little while later, sighing as her hand moved over his stomach to feel the hard muscles underneath. They didn't really have time to explore that much just now.

"I can vouch for that," Inuyasha murmured, using the hand that wasn't fisted into her hair to stroke her arm. Kagome bit his shoulder.

"That's not what I meant, and I know you know that." Inuyasha grinned at her, hauling her up for a long, deep kiss that had her melting against him again.

Kagome frowned when they parted. "You're not using fair tactics."

"Who said I was fair?" Inuyasha asked, smirking. Kagome rolled her eyes. Inuyasha suddenly rolled her onto her back, making her squeak in surprise.

"I saw that," Inuyasha said gravely, clucking his tongue. "Don't roll your eyes at me young lady."

He entered her again smoothly, making her retort catch in her throat. He chuckled as he began to move. This wasn't a bad way to end fights.

**(Limey end)**

* * *

They were sleeping, curled so tightly around each other you couldn't tell whose limbs were whose in the dark. Inuyasha again had his hand fisted into her hair, a habit she thought he should break.

However, Inuyasha awoke abruptly when he heard a noise. Kagome wouldn't have heard it, but with his twitching ears, he had clearly caught the sounds of a window breaking. And it happened to be her house.

Making sure he wouldn't wake her, he unwound himself from her carefully, giving her his pillow to hug. He tugged on his jeans, and quietly left the room.

The demon cat, Kirara, was hissing and making small growling noises at the front door, her hackles on end. He had no doubt if he let her leave the house she would transform.

He went back into the room and grabbed his gun on the bedside table, brushing a kiss against Kagome's brow before leaving again silently.

"Stay here and protect Kagome no matter what," Inuyasha growled quietly at Kirara, and the cat hesitantly and reluctantly went into his room to look after Kagome.

Moving towards Kagome's house quickly and silently, he saw that it was one of her living room windows that was broken. He entered the house through the front door, knowing she never locked it anyway.

It was dark and silent, and Inuyasha heard his own heart pumping in his ears. His senses heightened, he listened for sounds that might indicate there were any intruders.

At the same moment he decided whoever had broken her window hadn't stuck around, he also registered the strong smell of decay and blood. Growling, he went into her living room, and saw the corpse.

It was a woman, or what was left of one, half draped on the sofa. Feeling sick to his stomach, he quickly made sure he hadn't touched any surfaces other than the front door.

This was a crime scene now.

He went through all the other rooms to make sure there really was no intruder. He found Buyo hiding under Kagome's bed, and went back outside. Taking a deep breath, he noticed the smell of death still clung to his nose. Muttering curses, he quickly went back to his house, and dropped Buyo on the floor where he quickly darted off to find another hiding spot. He double-checked on Kagome to make sure she was still asleep before calling the police to report the crime. Then he went to wake Kagome up. She would want to be awake when they arrived.

* * *

Kagome was crying, her face turned into Inuyasha's shoulder for support.

"How could this have happened?" Kagome asked, sobbing. "Who would put a dead body in my home?"

"I don't know, Kagome," Inuyasha said gravely. "But I'll find out and castrate the son of a bitch once I find him," Inuyasha promised, stroking her hair. He pressed a kiss to her temple and rubbed her back.

"I-I need to go inside," she hiccupped.

His hold on her tightened. "No you don't. The body's still in there."

"I would like… I would like to see—"

"No, you really don't. And I'm not letting you Kagome. It's bad enough to know there's a dead body in your home, but I won't have you seeing a mutilated body," Inuyasha ground out. There were many people there, taking pictures and picking her house apart. She didn't need to see the body, and she didn't need to get anywhere near it.

"What about my stuff? My bed, my clothes…" Kagome hiccupped again. "Why _my _house?" she asked quietly, but instantly felt terrible. She wouldn't wish this on anyone else. "Sorry… That was selfish of me to say," she said.

"No, you're entitled," Inuyasha replied. If you give me a list of things you need from the house, I'll have a female officer go in and get the things for you once they're done checking the house," Inuyasha offered.

"Thanks," Kagome murmured, her face still turned into his shoulder. They had both given their statements already, and neither of them were considered the suspects.

"Kagome, go back inside and make that list. I'll be there soon. I just need to talk to my partner and the other officers."

Kagome gazed up at his face with swollen eyes, but nodded and went back inside his house.

Inuyasha's gaze hardened as soon as she went away fro sight. Whoever had done this would pay dearly. If she hadn't been at his house, in his bed, she would have woken up the crash of the window, the intruder might have still been there…

Shuddering at the thought, he went up to Miroku. "How's it looking?"

"Well, your girlfriend's not going to be able to get back inside for a while," Miroku said dryly. "Although I'm not sure if she'd want to."

"No, she'll be staying with me," Inuyasha said firmly.

"I figured as much," Miroku said. "There's already a female officer going through her things and bringing out whatever isn't evidence. Everything in the living room will have to be preserved though."

"Yeah, I know," Inuyasha said impatiently. "Do they know who did it?"

Miroku was silent a moment. Then, giving Inuyasha a dead serious look, said, "It was Naraku."

Inuyasha instantly stiffened. "What the fuck does that bastard want with Kagome?" he snarled.

"If I knew, I would tell you," Miroku said apologetically. "There was a piece of Naraku's baboon costume outside, since it was caught by a tree branch. However, he was also covered in mud, head to toe. It's probably why you can't smell him. There's traces of mud on the woman, and more traces of dried mud outside. The tracking dogs have tried to follow the trail, but it's no use. You know how tricky Naraku is."

"Yeah…" Inuyasha grit his teeth. "He's _not _getting close to Kagome though."

"No, I figured he wouldn't," Miroku said easily. At that moment, the female officer came out carrying one of the biggest luggage carriers he'd ever seen.

"These are all her clothes, make-up, towels, and dishes. So be careful with it. Household appliances I left in her home. Once they're done, they should be able to clean everything up, and she should be able to go back inside. I figured she'd be okay until then, though."

"Thanks, Rei-chan," Miroku said with a wink. She rolled her eyes and walked away to take care of other things that needed to be taken care of.

"Are you sure it was him," Inuyasha quietly asked. Miroku turned to him, his charming smile gone.

"I'm quite certain. He left a note for Ms. Kagome."

"_What_? Where?" Inuyasha snapped. "What the hell did it say?"

"It said something along the lines of, 'What a sad disappointment you weren't here when I've finally found you, but I suppose it'll make finding you more fun.'"

Inuyasha growled so harshly that a few officers looked at him in slight trepidation. "Like hell he'll find her. Is he fucking around with us? Did he know she was at my place?"

"Only time will tell," Miroku said.

"Like hell. Naraku himself will tell me once I get my hands on that bastard," Inuyasha promised darkly. "Fucker's dead meat for messing with what's mine."

Miroku silently listened to his ranting. He supposed Inuyasha didn't know how possessive he sounded. "Well," Miroku started, "maybe you should get back to your chickie-boo and reassure her that her knight will protect her until the end of time."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at him in a glare. "It's not the time to fucking joking around, Miroku," Inuyasha growled.

"Yes, I know. Which is why you should really go to her right now in her time of need," Miroku explained patiently. Inuyasha paused for a moment, but obediently turned to go to his house and to Kagome.

* * *

"I don't want you going to work tomorrow," Inuyasha said stubbornly.

Kagome sniffled into toilet paper, blowing her nose. She was gradually calming, but he was just making her angry.

"Inuyasha, I _have _to go to work," she tried to explain once more.

"No you don't," he growled back. "I told you, they can handle it. Just call in a substitute for you and everything will be fine. Just because you miss a few days, the world won't explode!"

"Yes it will! _My _world will explode! I'll let this… this… _criminal_ get to me, and ruin my daily life!"

"He _already _ruined it by throwing a dead broad through your damn window!" Inuyasha roared, not understanding her stubbornness.

"Okay, let's say I _don't _go to work. What would I be doing, hm?" Kagome's swollen eyes already made her eyes smaller, but as she narrowed her eyes in anger, they were mere slits. Inuyasha didn't know whether to be alarmed at her tenacity or laugh.

"You'll be staying here, of course."

"And you'll be at work, I presume? I'm to twiddle my thumbs all day waiting for your return?" Kagome snorted. "I don't think so!"

Inuyasha growled. "That's _exactly _what you're supposed to do! Twiddling your thumbs is safer than you going out there and sticking your neck under a metaphorical guillotine!"

"And what happens should Naraku come after me in the privacy of your home, hm?" she demanded to know, stabbing her finger into his chest, and not caring that it would probably hurt her more than him. "At least outside I'll be in a public area and he won't be able to get at me easily."

"Kagome, this guy is gunning for you! I'm going to find out why, but in the meanwhile, I want you to stay out of harm's way!"

"And the best way to do that is to go to work!"

Inuyasha huffed, and pulled out the big gun from his arsenal.

"What if he attacks the kids in order to get to you? Would you be feeling safe enough then?" Inuyasha growled. He watched her face grow pale, as she finally pulled the rein on her argument.

"He… He wouldn't do that, would he?" she whispered fearfully. Fresh tears came to her eyes, and Inuyasha felt guilty.

"I don't know, Slim. That's why I need you to stay here where at least Kirara can protect you."

Kagome's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. You win. I'll stay at home. I'll call the principal right now."

Kagome went into the living room to get his phone and to talk to the principal. Inuyasha sighed his relief, all the tension leaving him. Thank goodness she had given in. He would have had to follow her to school everyday just to put his mind at ease otherwise. He understood her argument as well, though. She would be alone with Kirara in his house all day, a prime target.

But he also knew that she wouldn't put her family in danger by going back to her mother's place. Maybe he could convince Sesshoumaru to put a guard at her house when he wasn't there… Yes, that sounded like a good idea.

His course of action decided, he felt more relaxed and more in control of the situation. He waited for Kagome to finish her conversation on the phone. When she came back into the room, she was crying again, and went straight to the bathroom to wash her face. Inuyasha had immediately stood, but when she quietly shut the bathroom door, he tensely sat back down, his fists clenched.

When she came out of the bathroom again, her face was damp. Silently he held out his arms to her, and she went into them gratefully, putting all her weight on him, not that he minded.

"I'm sorry, Slim. You're the _last _person this should happen to," Inuyasha said thickly. Kagome didn't say anything. She just buried her face into his shirt and breathed deeply. He kissed her temple, and rocked there, comforting her more than words ever could by just being there.

"I'm sorry I'm such a burden," she mumbled into his shirt, but immediately found herself yanked away from him.

"Don't you _dare _say or think shit like that, Kagome! It'll only piss me off," he snarled before kissing her. A tear slipped out as she thought about what a steady rock he was for her.

"Thank you Inuyasha," Kagome whispered when he broke away.

"Keh. What else am I supposed to do? You seem to be my damsel in distress." He excluded that fact that he couldn't do anything else other than protect her. He didn't think he was capable of pulling away from her—ever.

"I'll protect you, Kagome. You don't have to be afraid of anything okay?" he promised, kissing her temple again as he drew her face back to the space on his shoulder. She nodded, her arms going around him and her hand curling onto his other shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, at least until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

**wk**: Uh-ohhh... What does Naraku want with our dear Kagome? And will Kagome die of boredom while Inuyasha's at work? Stay tuned and find out! 


	8. The Long Run

**wk**: Hey guys... Eh heh heh heh... Sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait. I have the normal excuses--school and life. But I found some time during the winter break to write! :) Hope you guys enjoy!

**Chapter Eight  
The Long Run**

Four days passed by, and Inuyasha grew more and more concerned. Other than knowing it was Naraku, they had no other leads. Even the evidence of _that _was iffy. So what if they had a piece of his costume? Until the psycho had been caught _with _his costume, they had nil on him. Hell, even then, Naraku could just say that someone stole his costume, and that he was a newly reformed man. Even the murder style was different.

Inuyasha never had enough evidence on Naraku. Whenever there was a murder that screamed Naraku's name, the wily, rich bastard always got out of it somehow. Paid-off witnesses as well as judges, Inuyasha didn't know, but Naraku always, _always _managed to slither away like the snake he was.

And it looked like he was going to get away with this one as well, if Inuyasha and Miroku didn't do something about it. And looking at things currently, Naraku's next victim, or his last victim, was going to be Kagome.

Fuck.

Another concern of his was that Kagome was growing antsy. She was getting more nervous and twitchy by the day. She wanted to get back to work, but wouldn't risk any of the children. She played with Kirara, and did his household chores-- she even cut his grass! She cleaned his house until it practically sparkled with polish. She had tried not to use too many cleaning chemicals because of his nose's sensitivity, and he had appreciated it. He had tried to find activities for her, but wouldn't allow her to leave the house unless he was there. With his very irregular hours, this was very irritating to Kagome. She couldn't even make plans to go anywhere.

He knew, just _knew_, that she was going to try something stupid if he didn't catch this son of a bitch.

Kagome wasn't one to just sit back and "twiddle her thumbs," as she put it. And there was only so long she could stay off her job without losing it for a legitimate reason. And there was no way in hell she would ever get herself fired.

His fingers were tied together, and he had no idea where to start to untangle them.

Fuck.

* * *

Kagome blew out a frustrated breath. She was on the treadmill that she had discovered in Inuyasha's basement. Apparently, he had his own little home gym, to keep in shape while he wasn't working. So, this is how he kept those proverbial donuts off, Kagome had thought grimly when she found it.

Kagome ran and ran, working off the frustration and tension of staying in one place for too long. She was going to go _crazy_. When she got off the treadmill, she wiped her face with a towel, and stretched. Kirara watched, while washing her face with a paw. Buyo was still upstairs, probably prowling around in the kitchen.

Kagome took a shower, easing sore muscles and aches. She heard her cell phone ringing, and she quickly snapped off the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and flipped open the cell phone. "Hello?" She answered.

"Get the damn cat and be ready in five minutes," Inuyasha's rough voice ordered. Kagome frowned.

"Be ready for what?" She asked. By the "damn cat," she assumed he meant Kirara because she didn't know why he would want Buyo.

"To come with me to the hospital," Inuyasha replied.

Kagome's grip became tense on the phone as panic rushed through her. "Are you hurt?"

"No. Kirara's owner is being released from the hospital."

* * *

Kagome walked behind Inuyasha into the hospital. Inuyasha nodded at the people stationed at the door, and they nodded back at him, and gave Kagome knowing smiles. Kagome frowned and tipped up her chin, and they blinked at her. She might have been sleeping with Inuyasha, but she would be damned before they labeled her as his floozy.

When Kagome walked into the room, her heart tripped. Sango was apparently not ready to leave the hospital. She had crutches, and her body was still looking bruised and battered. Kagome hated to think what she looked like before now. Inuyasha hadn't told her the details about the case, but Kagome knew enough from the media-- brother missing, parents dead.

Kirara was mewing and struggling in Kagome's arms, so Kagome released her onto the floor. Kirara cautiously went up to Sango, her twin tails twitching with anxiety. Sango saw her, and Kagome saw Sango's face crumple. Hurriedly, she shoved Inuyasha out. Inuyasha protested with only a mild grunt, and they both left.

Right when they stepped outside, they saw Miroku ambling over.

"She all right?" He asked, uncharacteristic concern on his face. Despite his easy walk, Kagome could tell that tension had his muscles tight.

"She just reunited with Kirara," Kagome supplied. "We're giving them a moment." After about three minutes and Inuyasha's endless shuffling around, Inuyasha deemed that it was time to go back inside.

Kagome opted to stay outside, not wanting to be there when Sango was being told that she was being taken into protective custody.

Suddenly, everything was a whirlwind of motion as Inuyasha strode out determinedly, Miroku beside him. Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's arm, and barked orders at the two policemen outside the door. They jumped at his voice, and rushed off.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked when Inuyasha started to drag her along. "Inuyasha, that hurts!" Inuyasha's hold immediately loosened, but he didn't let her go as he walked to the elevator.

"She escaped on Kirara out the damn window," Inuyasha growled. "Probably on her way to try to find Naraku."

* * *

Inuyasha had ordered Kagome to stay in his truck, despite her protests. And to ensure that she wouldn't leave, Inuyasha called one of the guys at the door to come and sit with her. Or, more accurately, to _babysit her_. Inuyasha was going to get an earful when he was back, Kagome promised herself.

She watched as Inuyasha and Miroku jumped off from the parking deck, and she marveled at Miroku's physical capabilities. He was apparently capable of keeping up with a hanyou, and it must have taken a lifetime of training as well as some of his spiritual powers in order to do that.

She wished she could keep up with them. Or at the very least have some power of her own, so that Inuyasha didn't have to worry about her and so that she knew she could take care of herself. She hated depending on Inuyasha so much, despite their relationship. Or perhaps it was _because _of their relationship. This reprieve to go to the hospital, she knew, had been something that Inuyasha had thought of to get her out of the house to keep her from going crazy. But now that she was out, she was going to scream and bite him if he forced her to go back. She knew it was for her own personal safety, but now that she was out, she wanted at least one full free day. At _least_.

She made idle conversation with the cop, and he seemed as bored as she did. But she knew better than to try to convince him to follow Inuyasha and Miroku by car. He would laugh in her face. So, instead, she convinced him that she was hungry, and that he could probably use a bite to eat, too.

They went to a nearby fast food place, parking because she wanted to eat inside. "Don't worry, I don't think they're coming back anytime soon," Kagome replied to his worries. "What's your name? Mine's Kagome."

The cop shrugged, and said in a grumbling tone, "Eiji."

As he shook her hand, he didn't understand how Inuyasha could be together with such a willful, wily creature such as Kagome. She had been bugging him the entire time underhandedly about being bored. When she said she was hungry, he grabbed at the chance to be anywhere else _but _the dark, hospital parking deck. He was supposed to be chasing a suspect, but _no, _he had to be babysitting Inuyasha's _girlfriend_. If she hadn't seemed so offended about it as he was, he probably would have disliked her.

He supposed that a man such as Inuyasha wanted a woman he could go toe-to-toe with, rather than his own preference of the semi-stupid, busty girls with small waists. Of course, Kagome wasn't hard on the eyes either. He could see the attractiveness of an intelligent woman, as long as they all came in the same package Kagome seemed to be wrapped in. Of course, he also knew that he himself was beyond any stupidity of his past girlfriends if he hit on Inuyasha's girl. Hitting on a dog-demon's—even if he was only half—girlfriend was _beyond _stupid. It was also detrimental to his health and his well-being to have all his teeth knocked out and fed to him.

"So what made you want to become a policeman?" Kagome asked, taking a big bite out of her wrap after asking the question. The man sighed, obviously not wanting to talk to her. Well, tough. She was going to drag the words out of him if she needed pliers to do it. And while she was at it, she was going to discover more about Inuyasha and his job description. Last time she checked, a regular traffic patrolman didn't have to take care of victims or their cats. Whenever she asked Inuyasha, he scowled and grumbled and never answered.

"Dad was one," Eiji finally answered, frowning at her.

"Ah. Are there a lot of people with parents in the force, then?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah." He gave her a level look. "Like your boyfriend-- the chief is his brother, and their father used to be Chief. Looks like you've got yourself a very important man."

Kagome blinked. She never knew that his brother was the chief, or that his father had been either. She was a little hurt that he hadn't shared that information with her, but then she also knew from what little tidbits he had given her that he and his half-brother didn't get along.

"Yes, well..." Kagome took a small bite of her food. "I'm not with him for the rank, or for the increased pay. If I wanted important or money, I would have gone corporate," she said smoothly, as she watched the flush of shame cover Eiji's face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean--" he mumbled. Kagome cut him off with a wave.

"Speaking of my boyfriend," Kagome started, "what exactly _does _he do?"

He put his food down to tell the tale. "He's being punished by his brother by temporarily being a highway patrolman," Eiji answered. "He—did something bad to one of our suspects, and the Chief wasn't too happy 'bout that." Eiji gave a distant smile, as if remembering the conversation between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. "So, he demoted Inuyasha, but technically, he's still a detective. Which is why he's on this case." Eiji gave Kagome one long look. "A lotta people think that he's too close to this one, and I tend to agree."

Oh, dear. Kagome blinked. She never thought people would resent _her _for _his _decisions. But she could see his rashness taking over in this case—literally _this _case—and warning other detectives off his back. He had probably argued that he was involved with the threatened—why not just watch her as his job as well? The personal involvement would have had any other officer pulled from their case, but Inuyasha's bull-headedness probably won out in this situation. She could practically see him growling in her mind's eye, at a faceless figure with the same silver hair as his, telling him to shove it and that he was going to protect her even if another detective _was _signed onto the case.

"You care who's on your case?" he asked, curious about _her _now.

Kagome thought it through. She would prefer Inuyasha over anyone, but was that just her personal bias towards his company? She nodded her head. Professionally speaking, he was the best there was. And who else would she want but the best to protect her from harm?

"I care," she said. She smiled at Eiji. "Why wouldn't I want the best to protect me?" Eiji nodded. He acknowledged Inuyasha's skills as a fellow policeman. If it wasn't for Inuyasha's temper and his tendency for rashness, Inuyasha probably would have won more awards than anyone else already.

"So how'd you two lovebirds meet?" Eiji asked, picking up his food again.

"We live next to each other," Kagome replied, grinning.

"No shit?"

"No shit."

"Huh. Well, I guess fate does have a hand in things after all."

* * *

Inuyasha grit his teeth as he jumped off another rooftop. It wasn't hard at all to follow Kirara's scent. However, having to track them as well as follow them at a faster speed was damn near impossible. Miroku followed him, zigzagging across the rooftops as well.

After nearly half an hour of straight-up running and tracking, Miroku started to slow. But at that precise moment, Inuyasha spotted a little flame in the distance.

"Miroku!"

Without another word and a burst of speed, Inuyasha jumped after the flame. Now that the visual had been established, he could go straight for her.

When Kirara noticed his presence, she turned, snarled. Inuyasha skidded to a stop on top of a roof. Miroku landed beside him.

"Sango!" Inuyasha called out. Sango was staring at them both, a tortured expression on her face, but a hard, determined light in her eyes.

"Sango, you need to go back," Miroku said from beside Inuyasha, his voice low and soothing.

"Why should I?" Sango yelled back. "Even if I go back, you'll just put me in some stupid protective custody. And then I'll lose all my chances of finding this bastard!"

"It's best to leave it to us," Miroku stated, moving closer cautiously. Sango's eyes flared as she noticed his movements, but didn't say anything. "You can refuse to go into protective custody. But flinging yourself headlong into death couldn't help your brother right now." He saw Sango stiffen.

"I wouldn't be killing myself. I'd be killing _him_."

Inuyasha decided he let Miroku play "good cop" long enough. "Lady, we've dealt with this bastard a longer time than you. Now, I'm not saying I know how you feel, but I also know for a fact that you're not only asking for your own death, but your brother's as well if you actively search him out like this."

Sango stared at him. "You don't know that."

Inuyasha gave a humorless laugh, his arms crossing over his chest in an unconcerned, relaxed move that didn't reveal his inner tension. "I personally don't care what happens to you. But don't fuck up my case, and we'll get along just fine," he drawled.

"Inuyasha," Miroku hissed. He knew what Inuyasha was trying to do, and didn't like his method of achieving it. Sango was being half-suicidal, and mostly hopeful. Inuyasha was killing the hope while making her desire for revenge burn even more. This ensured that Sango would keep herself safe _before _going after Naraku. Miroku barely restrained himself from yelling at Inuyasha.

"I need to save Kohaku!" Sango's thin cry, and her crumpling face was all Miroku needed to jump up to settle behind her gently on Kirara. Kirara growled, but didn't move without her mistress' consent.

"You won't be able to, if you die looking for Naraku. You're not even all the way healed," Miroku said gently, handing over his handkerchief. She buried her face into it, crying silently.

"You can try to save him all you want, but you'll fail," Inuyasha called from where he was standing. Miroku sent him a dirty look, and wasn't expecting Sango to give a thin cry of anger. Miroku was thrown off as Sango gripped Kirara's fur on her neck, urging her down quickly. Miroku gave a cry of surprise as he fell off, but landed on his feet gently.

Inuyasha dove out of the way as Kirara attacked, but was clobbered on the side of the head by Sango's monstrous weapon. He saw stars, and everything momentarily went black, but he merely flipped onto his feet, blinking the blood and unconsciousness out of his eyes. _When the fuck did she get her weapon back?! _Inuyasha thought dizzily, and cursed. She had probably picked it up from her house, or had it ready to go in the hospital—if they had kept all her possessions in a different location. It was just a matter of finding it. Kirara made a wide circle, then dove, giving a fearsome yowl as she descended.

"Fucking crazy bitch!" Inuyasha spat as he rolled out of the way again, this time keeping clear of Sango's Hiraikotsu.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled, rushing over. Inuyasha ignored him, and he bent his knees to prepare himself to spring upwards. He honestly hadn't wanted to fight with Sango, but had merely tried to press her buttons to goad her into a breakdown so they could take her back. It wasn't the prettiest of methods, but he was tired and cranky, and he wanted to return to an unprotected Kagome. He had left her with a stupid human _kid_, and he wanted to get back to her. What if this whole thing had been some kind of tactic just to get Kagome? His heart squeezed in his chest in panic, as if Naraku himself had thrust his hand inside to grasp it in his despicable fingers. He had expected this to be a simple track and retrieve. He had _not _expected her to flip out and to dive-bomb him, nor to brain him.

When she was close enough, Inuyasha felt his muscles bunch and he shot upwards towards her. He was close enough to her that he could see the surprise in her eyes before she tried once again to hit him with her weapon. He was too close by then, however, and it merely painfully thumped against his back before he knocked her off Kirara. She landed a few feet away from him, on her feet. Of course, she was still weak from her injuries, and on top of that she had her bad leg. She crumpled to her knees, and she braced herself from falling completely with a hand while the other braced her weapon against her own back.

Miroku was there, a reassuring hand closing on her shoulder. She flinched away, and Miroku merely regarded her with a calm, clear gaze. Suddenly, he was tackled by a heavy demon cat, who was baring her fangs. Her long, frighteningly long and close-to-his-face fangs, Miroku thought.

"Kirara, no," Sango said tiredly. Kirara gave Miroku a warning growl, her claws digging into his shoulders. He winced but did nothing. Kirara slowly got off him, and walked over to Sango to nuzzle her with her head. Sango sat up, laid a comforting hand on Kirara's head. She looked at Inuyasha who was staring at her, his arms crossed across his chest in the same relaxed posture that had infuriated her before. She realized that he had been guiding her reactions, trying to make her see that it was impossible to go after Naraku currently.

And it worked.

Tired and emotionally drained, she heaved herself back onto Kirara's back. "You all right?" she asked Miroku, and Miroku nodded as he dusted off his rump with his hand. "Let's go back. I think I tore open the stitches," Sango said tiredly, and Miroku cast her a worried look, but didn't say anything knowing she would shrug it off anyway.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have gone berserk like that," Inuyasha snapped, swiping the back of his hand over his forehead to wipe away the drying blood.

Sango immediately stiffened, and Miroku gave Inuyasha a dirty look as he walked up next to Kirara. "He doesn't mean it. He just left his _girlfriend_ unattended, and he's in a bad mood because of it."

Sango had a brief memory of the pretty girl that walked into her room before she had run off with Kirara. The one that had persuaded the seemingly thick-skinned and thick-skulled Inuyasha into leaving the room to give her a sentimental moment with her cat. Understanding a little about Inuyasha's tension, Sango relaxed fractionally.

"Let's go back." She looked at Miroku, who seemed bone-weary. "Hop on." Miroku didn't ask questions, merely hauled himself up behind her, barely able to put his leg over Kirara rather than just slumping himself over her back.

Sango looked at Inuyasha, and her lips tightened. She doubted he needed her help, and she wouldn't give it either way. Inuyasha gave her a slight nod, then he was running, back towards the hospital, a new tension making his return speedy. She might have understood his haste, but she couldn't forgive his cruel words right now. "Kirara," she said softly, and an equally soft growl cooed up to her. Then Kirara bounded upwards, and they sailed away, Inuyasha running ahead of them.

* * *

Kagome and Eiji seemed to become wary friends, or at the very least, companions during their short stay together. Eiji could understand Inuyasha's attraction to this girl, to her intelligence and wit, and found himself joking around with her as they awaited Inuyasha's return.

"Yeah, and then Inuyasha just went _berserk _and punched my ex in the face--" a hard, hot hand fell on Kagome's nape, halting her narration mid-word. She winced, and looked upwards to see Inuyasha's face, his eyebrow raised in question down at her, his displeasure clearly written across his face in a scowl. He was breathing hard, as if he had been running the entire time he had been gone. Kagome knew it took a lot to get a demon winded.

"Ah..." Kagome sent him a tentative grin. "Hi, handsome." Eiji snorted in front of her, and Kagome gave him a glare, because she knew that Eiji must have seen Inuyasha come into the door, and hadn't warned her.

"Kagome, you--" Suddenly Kagome was up with a startled cry, making Inuyasha blink at look at her as if she's grown two heads. But Kagome merely pushed aside his defensive hands, and held his face between her palms.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, examining the rust-colored stain on his forehead. Inuyasha scowled.

"I'm all right. I'm already healed. You--"

"You have to go to the hospital! They have to check you out!" Kagome insisted, her fingers pressing on his scalp. Inuyasha sighed, grabbed her wrists to hold her hands away.

"Kagome, it's just dried blood. I'm fine now. No brain damage, nothing. No permanent damage." Before she could protest, he added, "Trust me. I know my body."

Kagome's eyes flicked to the dried blood, and pressed her lips together into a tight line, but nodded. Inuyasha took a deep breath, then gave her a stern look.

"Telling coworkers tales of my misadventures isn't a way to get on my good side, Kagome," Inuyasha growled. "And didn't I tell you not to leave the damn truck?"

"I got hungry," Kagome protested. "Surely you don't want me to _starve_ while I'm waiting for you." Inuyasha grit his teeth. Kagome blinked up at him innocently. "And they're hardly misadventures, Inuyasha. I was just telling him how _gallant _and _noble _you--" Eiji's snort cut Kagome off, but when Inuyasha flipped his glare to Eiji, Eiji was looking away with the same innocent expression Kagome had, with all traces of amusement wiped off. Inuyasha ground his teeth. Here he was, tired from having run non-stop, full-speed back to her because he'd worried the top off his head about her well-being, and she was chowing down and getting _chummy _with another male. He narrowed his eyes with purpose, and Kagome's own eyes widened, reading the intent in his eyes. Her eyes flicked nervously over to Eiji, who hadn't noticed their by-play, and Inuyasha growled. She would keep her eyes on _him, _dammit!

Before Kagome could protest his intent, Inuyasha's mouth was on hers. Her mouth had already been open to tell him to stop and he took full advantage. She forgot what she was going to protest and why, and she drew her arms around his neck. She suckled delicately on his tongue, and she felt his shoulders stiffen with a different tension. A loud cough made her eyes fly open, and she withdrew quickly, her face flaming. She caught the startled, amused gazes of other customers, and also the gazes of those that clearly didn't approve the public display of affection. Her face flamed, and Eiji seemed amused by her predicament.

There was a loud whoop, and some scattered applause, and Kagome groaned and buried her face into her palms. Inuyasha was grinning now, a self-satisfied, cat-that-got-the-cream grin, one that made Kagome want to poke his eyeballs so that he could yowl like a cat-that-got-poked-in-the-eyeballs.

Inuyasha took one of Kagome's hands, bringing her to her feet. He gave a look to Eiji, who stood to acknowledge his departure. He gave a slight bow of his head, which Inuyasha returned with some puzzlement. It seemed to be important, but for the life of him he couldn't see why. Mentally shrugging, he pulled Kagome behind him, walking out of the restaurant.

Kagome had caught the little wordless exchange, and she gave Eiji a smile which he returned hesitantly. He might not have respected Inuyasha before, thinking he was just a crass know-it-all, but knowing his woman had given him a different perspective.

Kagome sighed as Inuyasha knelt in front of her. She couldn't get any more embarrassed in front of the restaurant, so why not? She climbed onto his back, and he bounded towards the hospital parking lot.

"What happened with Sango?" Kagome asked in between kisses when he had set her down at the truck. She was gasping, but her natural concern overrode her own needs. Inuyasha paused, his lips at her neck.

"Her stitches came loose, so she's getting them restitched." Inuyasha frowned. "Let's go back to her room for a minute."

Goddammit! If he hadn't been so concerned in taking Kagome home to make love to her, he would have kept his head screwed on straight and realized that he needed to see about Sango's well-being first. Such as, if she was refusing to go into protective custody, then what the hell was she going to do? And where the hell was she going to stay since she most likely wouldn't want to return to her house?

If he reacted like this every time he was scared witless over where Kagome was, he didn't know how the hell he would survive if anything happened to her. When she hadn't been at the parking lot, he had gone nearly berserk, nearly tearing into the hospital to demand security tapes of the parking deck before he remembered that he could scent her out.

Inuyasha dragged Kagome with him, keeping her close by putting an arm around her waist. She stumbled a few times as he refused to let her go, making her crab-walk with him in crowded halls sometimes. She rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her, a scowl still set on his face.

When they approached a different examination room, Miroku was already there. Sango's stitches had been fixed, and she was sitting on the edge of the examination table. She glowered at Inuyasha, and Kagome felt a fine tension lock his arm around her. Something had happened between Inuyasha and Sango, Kagome thought. And not all of it good. Kagome, despite his iron arm, pushed it off and stepped away from it.

"How are you feeling?" She asked Sango, looking her over. Sango seemed startled by the question, and her face became grave again.

"Useless and crippled." Sango looked away from Kagome then, whispering the words. Kagome's compassionate heart clenched, and she held out a hand with a smile.

"I'm Kagome," Kagome introduced herself, realizing that she had never done so. Sango seemed startled, but her mouth twitched as her hand went into Kagome's.

"Sango," she replied. Kagome pumped her hand once, let go. "Pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." Kagome smiled, and Sango gave her a hesitant smile in return. "How's your side? I heard you needed to be put together again."

Sango winced as a hand went to her side. "In a manner of speaking, I suppose so."

"You should be more careful. Your brother wouldn't want to come back to a broken sister." Quickly, before Sango could get mad, Kagome looked straight at Sango, and said, "I have a little brother, too. I would hate the situation if I was in your shoes. But you gotta stay healthy and whole so that your brother will have family when he's saved. You're all he has left."

Sango's throat became tight, and all she could manage was a nod.

Kagome kept her tone light and cajoling as she continued to soothingly talk to Sango. Inuyasha looked on with a bit of startled bewilderment. Kagome had managed, in less than thirty seconds, to get on Sango's good side, and had managed to make Sango value herself. Inuyasha had just pissed her off enough for her to hurt herself and to come back. He could see who was better in this situation, and it surely wasn't him.

Miroku stepped up, clearing his throat. "Rather than going to stay at a hotel or a motel, you're welcome to stay at my place."

Inuyasha threw Miroku a sharp look. Miroku met it with a bland, controlled gaze.

"I don't think--"

"Here's why it's a good idea," Miroku bulldozed over Inuyasha with quiet but steely undertone in his words. "First, you'll be under my protection, since you refuse to go into a witness protection program. Second, we won't lose money from the department by appointing guards to you, although I _do_ expected to be compensated by this. Third--" he turned his gaze to Inuyasha, "she doesn't get killed."

Inuyasha grit his teeth. Miroku had a point. Because she refused to go under witness protection, the only thing for her to do was to go to a hotel room with appointed policemen at her door at all hours. It would save Sesshoumaru a lot of manpower as well as money to simply put Sango under Miroku's care. But what did he mean by--

"What do you mean by compensation?" Sango asked, her gaze hard, beating Inuyasha to the punch.

Miroku blinked, then grinned. "Not your body, Sango. Increased pay, for taking care of two people, rather than one."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Sesshoumaru might agree to this." He turned his eyes to Sango. "Only if you do."

Sango looked down at her clenched fists on her knees, her gaze sightless but troubled. "I..."

"How about you take some time to think about it?" Kagome put in. "You could stay here for a little while, then when you leave, you could tell Miroku your decision." She gave Miroku a look. "I'm sure he'll still be here when you're ready to leave." Sango nodded, still not looking up from her knees.

"Good. Great. Well, let Sesshoumaru know once you get that settled." Inuyasha growled, and his hand clamped around Kagome's wrist, bringing her to his side. "Time for us to leave."

"Call me if you need someone to talk to," Kagome told Sango. Kagome waved at both of them, and followed behind Inuyasha, whose hand had slid from her wrist to her hand to tug her along at a reasonable pace. Kagome smiled at the back of Inuyasha's head. As tough as he seemed, she had seen his utter confusion and his pout at how well she had handled Sango. She had no doubt that the undercurrent of tension between Sango and Inuyasha was because of Inuyasha's big mouth.

When they got to the truck, Inuyasha had her up against it, his big body crowding her against it. She blinked up at him, and gave a sigh of pleasure when he merely skimmed his lips over her jaw.

"You surprise the hell out of me," Inuyasha murmured, before capturing her mouth with his. Kagome hummed, and looped her arms around his neck. It was a soft kiss, one that was exploratory in its purpose. When Inuyasha pulled away, Kagome gave him an equally soft smile, a little off kilter. Inuyasha bundled her into the truck, and they were on their way back home.

On the way, Inuyasha recanted the story of how he got his head injury, and Kagome was aghast at all the things he _wasn't _saying. Like how he had goaded Sango beyond her limits.

"Inuyasha, I can't believe you did that!" Kagome said in disbelief.

"It's not like I did it because I meant it," Inuyasha said, scowling defensively. "It was just faster and it got a lot better results."

"You getting hit over the head is a much faster result that I like." Kagome shook her head. "And to think, I thought I was dating someone _smart_."

"_Hey!_" Inuyasha's indignant response had Kagome hiding a smile by looking out the window.

When they arrived, they were still light-heartedly bickering. Kagome doggedly kept her eyes away from her own place. Before Inuyasha let Kagome enter, he did a sweep of the house and then let her in.

"When is it gonna get back to normal?" Kagome lamented mournfully. Inuyasha drew her into his arms, pressing his lips comfortingly to her hair.

"It won't ever get back to the way it was," Inuyasha said quietly, "but I promise that what you'll go to will be better. Fear-free."

Kagome gave a reluctant chuckle, then buried her face into his chest. "I wouldn't mind if this was over soon, then. I don't like the feeling of having to look over my shoulder in my own home."

Inuyasha's heart flipped at her off-hand mention that she felt as if she was at home—in _his _home. He wondered how she would feel when—not if—he caught Naraku. But he was terrified to ask. But he had no problems ordering. He placed a hard kiss on her lips, then his eyes searched hers out before saying, "Kagome, we are in a clear, long-term relationship, until one of us says otherwise. Right?"

Kagome gave him such a radiant, soft smile that he wanted to gather her in and just snuggle, despite the fact that this would make his manliness go down a couple of notches. Kagome threw her arms around his neck, and gave a smacking kiss. Inuyasha grinned down at her in a foolish, happy manner. Kagome had never seen him give one of those goofy smiles, and it warmed her to her toes.

"Inuyasha, when this is over, and when you've caught Naraku and he's safely tucked away in some prison, I expect you to take a long vacation, because I'm gonna want one with you," Kagome said lightly.

Inuyasha swung her up into his arms, and his lips nuzzled hers as he made his way into the bedroom with her. As he laid her down on the bed, he said seriously, "Baby, my vacation time is all yours."

* * *

Well. He supposed snuggling after sex had its merits. And it didn't make him feel any less manly, not with his arms full of a hot, naked, satisfied female, dozing in and out of sleep. He kept tracing her profile with a claw, awed that this beautiful, gorgeous woman was in the same bed with him. He wasn't self-deprecating—he knew he wasn't hideous. But Kagome—Kagome was just ethereal. Her face was softened by good sex, her satisfaction almost tangible. His fingers went carefully over her eyelids, her nose, her lips, and chin. How could this perfectly formed creature be with him?

His thoughts momentarily took a dark turn as he briefly wondered if she was only with him because of the circumstances—Naraku being after her and dumping a dead stranger into her home would make her want to seek comfort from anyone. But Inuyasha shook off the thought, since they had long been attracted to each other before Naraku. If anything, the dire circumstances had forced them closer, but hadn't forced any _emotions _on them.

He _had _to find Naraku. And once he did, he was going to tell Kagome he loved her. Hell, he might even tell her that _before_ he caught Naraku. When he fell, he wasn't exactly sure of the moment. Before, during, after, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he just knew he was, and that was enough for him.

Inuyasha hoped Kagome was in it for the long run, because he sure as hell was.

* * *

**wk**: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter--sorry if there were some... uh... things that didn't coincide with earlier chapters. My memory of my own stories aren't so good after not updating in so long, so if you guys find anything strange about this chapter, just message me or just write it out in a review and I'll jump on fixing it. This goes for my other stories as well! :)

Thanks for waiting patiently, guys!


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